No Strings Attached
by Mirandabelle
Summary: Tiva WIP. A chance meeting and bad weather leaves Tony and Ziva alone in his apartment by candlelight. Can they really reach a mutually beneficial arrangement with no strings attached? Chapter 13 is up.
1. Drinking to Forget

**No Strings Attached**

Author's note:

This is my first NCIS Fic, first fic in years in fact. Definite Tiva, not quite smut more hinting to keep it T rated. Timeframe is probably around Season 7ish, post-Somalia, more than likely to go AU at some stage.

**Chapter One - Drinking to Forget**

The atmosphere in the bar seemed to shift for a moment, an almost imperceptible pause in the music and movement when a beautiful woman appears in the doorway. Tony DiNozzo felt the change and instinctively swung towards the door, straightening his shoulders. They slumped visibly a second later as time resumed when he realised the dark haired figure was that of his colleague, Ziva David.

"Of all the gin joints, in all the towns, in all the world, she walks into mine." He muttered, turning back to his beer. It was late Friday night, the end of a long, trying case, and he had deliberately picked the out of the way bar to avoid company from his co-workers.

"I did not know you had a claim on this place Tony, and what is a gin joint anyway?" Ziva took the only remaining seat at the bar, the one beside him. She had also hoped for solace tonight, planning to drink the ache out of her bruised body.

"Never mind," Tony muttered irritably, downing the last mouthful of beer. "What are you doing here anyway?"

"The same thing you are I imagine, drinking to forget." Ziva replied. Tony grunted agreement. He and Ziva had come off the worse in their case today, and while Ziva looked outwardly better - a steri stripped cut near his eyebrow and split lip being more obvious - Tony knew she had spent the afternoon in hospital, being x-rayed for broken ribs, and while serious injury had been cleared, her movements gave away the stiffness and bruising. Although neither had been held at fault both weary agents felt the need to drown their sorrows and nurse wounds both physical and emotional before Monday.

"Well if I buy you a beer will it buy your silence?" Tony's voice was tired and impatient. He'd been knocked out when their supposedly unconscious suspect unexpectedly woke up and cracked Tony across the forehead with the pistol Tony had been in the process of disarming, and Ziva had been left to face the 6'4" man alone. She was fast, and disarmed him easily enough, but on brute strength she was out of her depth and Tony had come to in time to see her crash backwards through a pile of wooden crates. Gibbs had shown up as the man had tried to run for it, apprehending him for good, as Tony hauled Ziva out of the rubble. The morning had ended with Ziva in an ambulance, and Tony riding shotgun despite the medic's protests, dizzily quoting "Which way did he go George?" repeatedly.

"I did not wish to talk anyway." Ziva snapped back. Her harshness drew a barely noticeable wince across Tony's face. She softened her tone slightly. "But I would not say no to that drink." Tony nodded, motioned to the bartender and paid for two more beers. Ziva tilted her head in quiet thanks, and both agents turned away from each other, drinking in silence.

The pair alternated buying rounds, maintaining their silence which had shifted from hostile to companionable. After a while, the beer became bourbon, as the bar slowly emptied.

"It's your round." Tony informed Ziva, setting his empty glass down on the bar.

"I bought the last one Tony, the round is yours," she replied shaking her head.

"No way, you owe me one. You knocked over my drink breaking up that fight." A scuffle that had started over the pool table had gotten too close to Tony and Ziva and they ended it abruptly before the police arrived, the bartender this time shouting a free drink for them both when the mess had been cleared.

"Excuse me Tony? I was taking care of public safety." Ziva's tone was lighter than at the start of the evening, the gentle bickering in good fun.

"Overreacting is more like, you didn't need to pin him against the bar like that." Tony shot back, a hint of a smile forming as he rolled his eyes.

"Either way, one of you is going to have to pay." The short, blonde man behind the bar leaned into the conversation, "Last call."

"Well should we flop for it? That is what you and McGee would do is it not?" Ziva suggested.

"The word is flip for it Ziva, and I don't want to hear about McLucky tonight." There was no real malice in his voice though, despite the fact he would hang it on McGee come Monday for staying safe in the van running surveillance and coming out injury-free.

"Well then, why don't we flip for it?" Ziva amended. She could sense that if she bit back at Tony for correcting her language the good nature between them would fade rapidly.

"Why not, and I'll let you use your coin. No tricks." Tony offered.

"How generous," Ziva laughed sarcastically. "As if I would fall for that double-sided coin trick anyway. Here." She produced a coin from her pocket and handed it to Tony.

"Heads I buy, tails you buy." Tony announced, flipping the coin in the air and catching it. "Best of three?" He did not show Ziva the coin, but the quick way he pocketed it and roguish grin told her plainly enough the coin had shown heads.

"No way Tony." She replied lightly, "I won, I am the fair square."

"Fine, fine. But you're not a square, leave that to McGeek." Tony grumbled good naturedly, paying for two more drinks. "You owe me for this Day-vid"

"L'chaim," Ziva said with a smirk, ignoring the deliberate mispronunciation of her name. They tilted their glasses, touching gently against each other and drank quietly.

Savouring the last mouthful of spirit, Ziva stood up, and swayed slightly, the alcohol going to her head quickly. Tony chuckled "Lightweight."

"You have had as much to drink as I have Tony." Ziva steadied herself on the bar, clearing the fuzz from her head, but the warmth and tipsy feeling staying put. "I am going to catch a cab home, and I suggest you do the same." Tony looked around the bar, the bartender was cleaning up, obviously having no intention to refill Tony's drink.

"I doubt I'm as affected as you Ziva. My metabolism..." Tony jumped to his feet and swayed as well. "I have to catch a cab anyway. I left my car at the base. Why don't we split it? Will save one of us waiting out in the cold. We're both in the same direction from here, I'll pay to mine and you can pick up the rest to your apartment."

"Well..." Ziva began doubtfully, she'd heard about Tony making the same offer to McGee, who had ended up paying for the entire bill, despite his place being the shorter trip.

"Come on Zi," Tony wheedled, as they buttoned their coats against the cold November air they expected outside. "It's not like you have any better offers here, I'll even hold the door for you!"

"You must be drunk with an offer like that. But I could not deny there are no better offers for a ride home." Ziva surveyed the bar one last time, which save for audible vomiting from the bathroom, and the bartender now wiping tables, was empty. She offered her elbow, and with a gallant, though wobbly half bow, Tony took it, the agents helping each other unsteadily up the stairs and out onto the street.


	2. Snowed In

**Chapter Two - Snowed In**

"Of all the women in the bar, I never pictured taking you home." Tony winked at Ziva. She scoffed and rolled her eyes.

"I provided more support up the stairs, I think it is I who is taking you home." Ziva moved away from him, closer to a car that Tony recognised as her own.

"Hey!" He lunged at Ziva, as she unlocked her car. He pinned her to the side of the car, his hand over the one that held her keys, their arms extended so his chest pressed against her back. "Buddies don't let buddies drive drunk, or didn't you take high school drivers ed?"

"Firstly Tony, I'm not that stupid. Secondly, you saw what happened today, being pinned like this is far from comfortable." Chastised, he released her, kicking himself mentally for not remembering her injuries. Leaning briefly into the car, she emerged again and showed him an olive green satchel bag. "I was just collecting my bag. Your concern is appreciated. If you have to play the hero, do it by raining a cab." She shook her head and passed the strap over her body, straightening her collar and scarf once it was settled.

"Hailing." Tony murmured to himself, turning toward the road. The wind picked up, and snow began to fall thickly as a cab pulled to the kerb next to them, and forgetting his previous chivalrous offer, Tony dived into the back seat ahead of Ziva in his eagerness to get out of the wind. Giving the driver his address, as Ziva settled beside him on the seat, they headed off into the night.

"Keep the change." Tony leaned forward to pay the driver. "Move, David or I'll climb over you!" The heater in the cab had cheered him, and he was playfully, obnoxiously chatty, keeping up a monologue the entire way home.

"Fine! I will move Tony!" Ziva pushed him away and scrambled out of the cab as Tony attempted to come good on his threat. She stepped quickly up the kerb, snow piling thickly in the gutter, although the sidewalk was not much improved. Tony groaned at the thought of his expensive leather shoes in the snow and retreated to the steps of his apartment block. The cab door swung shut behind him as he bounded up the kerb. Ziva reached to the door handle, finding it locked.

"You're on your own from here lady." The driver informed Ziva, winding down the window. "Only place I'm going in this weather is the Depot."

"We told you this was a double fare. How am I to get home?" Looking around the street was dark, deserted and the snow was falling more thickly now. The only vehicles likely to be on the road now were snowmobiles.

"Beats me lady." The driver shrugged, pulling away without another word. Ziva swore after him in Hebrew.

"You should have shown him your badge." Tony observed, fumbling for his keys.

"Somehow Tony, I doubt he would have understood if I'd held him at gunpoint." Ziva replied darkly, studying the sky. "I can make it before the storm really picks up, goodnight Tony." She turned and made to walk down the street.

"Zi, wait. You're not going to walk in this are you?" Tony called.

"As far as the train station, yes, and I don't exactly have a choice. I do not intend to spend all night in the cold." Ziva called back, turning toward him again.

"I can't let you walk alone in this." Tony protested, jogging from one foot to the other, trying to stay warm.

"I will be fine Tony, it will only take me 20 minutes to get there, and another 10 to my apartment, I walk fast. I will see you on Monday."

"I'm not ruining $400 shoes to walk with you... I guess you can sleep on the sofa." Tony offered, not exactly sounding thrilled.

"Thank you, but no Tony." Ziva replied firmly. Snow was still falling around her, white flakes settling in her hair.

"Gibbs will kill me if I let you walk 4 miles in the snow." Tony responded.

"Gibbs will not find out Tony. Goodnight." With that the street lights flickered and died, leaving the pair in darkness.

"C'mon Ziva, that man knows _everything_ he'd know first thing Monday morning. It's dark now, just come upstairs and stop arguing with me." Fortunately for Tony, looks that could kill could not penetrate the dark, but Ziva's face glowered at being told what to do so harshly.

"Very well, but no funny business Tony." A light appeared where Ziva's voice came from, a small torch attached to her bag, and she climbed the steps, aiming the beam so Tony could see the keyhole.

"Funny business... trained assassins aren't my thing. I prefer knowing I'm not at risk of being murdered in my sleep." The stepped into the dark lobby, the cold and damp having sobered them up somewhat, and their moods resetting to the beginning of the night, irritable and sore.

Ziva made an incredulous huff, "Well this is not exactly my ideal Friday night company either. An arrogant jerk who does not know when to stop quoting movies!"

"That wasn't a movie quote!" Tony snatched the torch from Ziva in order to lead up the stairs. At his door, he stopped so abruptly, Ziva had to pull up short to avoid crashing into his back. She retrieved the torch, holding it again so that he could unlock the front door. He opened it, letting Ziva into the surprisingly tidy (given the state of his desk at NCIS) apartment.

"Sofa is there, sit down so I know where you are." Tony reclaimed the small torch again and gestured with the beam of light and Ziva followed. Although the heating had died with the power, some residual heat remained, and Ziva was able to shrug off the dark red overcoat she was wrapped in. Tony disappeared down the hall, and returned quickly, holding five long white candles in silver holders.

"You do not keep your candles in the kitchen? Where... never mind." Ziva quickly put two and two together regarding where Tony had obtained the candles. He lit them quickly, and set them on the table before Ziva, taking one to light his way.

"So you do understand something of the art of seduction." Tony smirked, heading to the kitchen. Unfortunately the lack of power ruled out coffee and he swore under his breath.

"You would be surprised what I know about seduction Tony." Ziva replied, her tone lightening again. The warmth was doing them both good, taking the hard edges from their attitudes. Tony returned to the sofa, a bottle and two glasses in hand. The label was unreadable in the dim light, but the dark red liquid was obvious enough as Tony poured them both a generous measure.

"This will warm us up as well as coffee I guess." He offered with a shrug, handing Ziva a glass. The wine was warming down their throats as they took a sip each, trying not to meet each others' gaze, the significance usually surrounding drinking wine by candlelight not lost on either party.

"We should have gone to Gibbs's house, he probably has a generator and camping stove." Ziva mentioned.

"He does." Tony admitted with a laugh. "He's prepared for anything."

"Do you have a spare pair of sweatpants I could borrow Tony?" Ziva asked after another mouthful, shifting in her seat, realising her clothes were still damp. "I only have work pants in my bag."

"Don't take advantage of my hospitality or anything will you?" The light teasing went over Ziva's head.

"Tony, I'm cold and wet, I do not think it is too much to ask!" Ziva stood up. "If you feel that this is such an intrusion, I will go home instead and let Gibbs deal with you on Monday."

"No need to threaten me with the Boss man." Tony set his glass down. "Learn to take a joke would you? Come on." He stood quickly and taking a candle in hand, led the way. Ziva picked up a second candle and followed him through to the bedroom.

She was not surprised to find that a large bed held pride of place in the room, or that there was a TV set up on the wall opposite. Entering the room behind Tony, her eyes fell on the basket of clean unfolded laundry sitting on an armchair.

"Here." Tony rummaged through the laundry and handed her a pair of pale blue women's yoga pants. Ziva decided it was best not to ask the origin. Digging some more he produced an old t-shirt, also a woman's, and some socks. "You can change through here." He opened one of two doors in the room, the second presumably a closet, revealing an ensuite bathroom.

"Thank you Tony." Ziva had shaken her hair loose from the bun she'd been wearing, and as she leaned into him to take the bundle of clothing, he realised the silky tresses were damp, the snow having melted into it immediately on entering his warm apartment.

"The towels are clean. You can dry your hair." He took the candle from her, placing it on the counter near the mirror.

"Thank you... out!" Ziva's hands had reached for the buttons on her blouse before realising Tony had remained in the doorway, leaning against the door jamb and grinning. He chuckled softly and shut the door. He returned a few seconds later though, opening the door without warning.

"Zi, you can wear this too, that shirt won't keep you warm. Wow!" Ziva spun, her arm across her bare chest snatching the robe he offered. "Well, I expected thanks for letting you stay, but this was not what I imagined!"

"Tony, I have never killed a person with a lit candle, but I am willing to add it to my dossier." Ziva hinted, turning her back and sliding the fluffy white robe over her shoulders.

"Point taken." Tony left again, leaving Ziva to towel her hair and dress. The pants were tighter than she usually wore, the worn flannel hugging her hips, and she found the shirt, although not as tight, still skimmed over her breasts and belly lightly, showing off her elegant torso, and ending just below her navel. Between the hip hugging cut of the pants and the shortness of the shirt, about an band of smooth olive skin was exposed, she rolled her eyes, not entirely discounting that Tony had selected the clothes on purpose. Still, the worn fabrics were soft, warm and dry, and she was grateful for the comfort, and the robe hid what the clothes accented anyway. She could hear Tony moving around outside, between the living area and the bedroom and guessed that he was setting up her bed. Glancing at her watch, the time read almost 1am, and it suddenly hit the Israeli how tired she was.

"Uhh... Tony. What is going on here?" Ziva emerged from the bathroom, and paused uncertainly on the threshold as she noticed Tony had brought all the candles and the rest of their wine into the bedroom.

"It's colder out in the lounge, and we didn't finish our wine. May as well have our nightcap in comfort." Tony explained. In his rummaging he'd also shed his work pants and button down shirt for comfortable workout pants, and old varsity t shirt - which Ziva noticed were much looser fitting than hers - fluffy socks and a navy bathrobe, which hung open over his clothes. When Ziva didn't make a motion to come any closer, Tony held his hands up appeasingly. "No funny business."

"Thank you Tony." Ziva came into the room, she approached the end of the bed, and stopped short, her shins colliding with something solid at the end of the bed. "What is in that?" She lowered her candle, the flickering light revealing a wooden trunk.

"Nothing to your liking..." Tony began mischievously. Ziva rolled her eyes. "Sci fi DVDs." He added, and could have sworn he heard a soft chuckle in the darkness. She came around the side of the bed, Tony had already sprawled full-length along the the other, half reclining on some pillows. She perched uneasily on the edge, still not quite comfortable with the setting.

"Thank you Tony..." She began hesitantly, not quite sure how to keep the awkwardness she was feeling hidden without being rude.

"Someone's always got your six Zi, we're a team." Tony shrugged nonchalantly. He had no such qualms with the unusual situation, laying back sipping his wine, his feet twitching to an unheard tune. "Sorry about before..." He gestured vaguely to her torso, "I didn't think you'd get down to your birthday suit so quickly."

"Rule Six Tony. Besides, I will just have to see you..." Ziva trailed off. The playful comeback suddenly over-intimate in their surroundings. Finding he'd set her remaining drink on the bedside table, Ziva picked it up and sipped, eventually stretching herself into the same semi-reclined position as Tony, as the two agents drank in silence.


	3. Playing With Fire

**Chapter Three - Playing With Fire**

"You know," Tony remarked, as Ziva set her empty glass down at the same moment he did. "When you're not getting all ninja on my ass and mixing up your idioms, you're a good drinking partner, we drink at the same pace."

"You are not so bad yourself DiNozzo, when you are not quoting movies that is." Ziva replied with a small smile. She bent down, rummaging in her bag and straightened up with a hairbrush. Tony watched for a few seconds as she loosened the neck of her robe, her back to him and began to brush her hair slowly, her aching shoulders obviously making the job hard.

"Hey..." Tony had picked up his cell phone, and was playing idly, but had heard the hiss of pain from his colleague. He got to his knees, and shuffled across the bed behind her. She stiffened at his sudden closeness as he lay his hand over hers, prying the brush from her grasp gently. "Let me."

"Tony, that is not necessary." Ziva shifted her head away from his touch.

"Can't have you making yourself worse and getting put on Desk Duty. Then I'd be stuck with McGee on the field." Tony gently drew her back against him, taking over the brushing. He was obviously inexperienced, and pulled harder than she would have. When his inexpert tugging drew a wince from her, she reached back and took his spare hand, placing it flat against her scalp, showing him how to anchor the hair at the roots to minimise the pulling.

"Like that Tony. If you have a little girl one day, you will need to know this." Ziva murmured quietly. Tony smoothed the brush through the now untangled hair one last time, his fingers instinctively curling through as he went, the silky locks sliding easily through his grasp. "Thank you." Ziva shifted sideways, to look at him as she looped her hair into a low, loose ponytail.

"Welcome David." Tony returned to his side of the bed, picking up the wine bottle. "Can't let this go to waste." He poured himself another glass, and proffered the remaining drink to Ziva.

"I suppose not. Thank you." Ziva held her glass out as he filled it. Sipping again, they realised at about the same moment they had locked eyes over their glasses. Tony cleared his throat, breaking the contact, Ziva shifted to sit more upright, curling her knees to her chest, her body language tense again. The odd crackles of electricity between them nothing unusual in the bullpen at work, but in the candlelit room, both well over the limit, the energy was downright unnerving for her.

"So what's a girl like you doing in a place like this?" Tony joked trying to lighten the mood. Ziva rewarded him with a half smile and relaxed shoulders at his cheesy pick up line.

"I would have preferred that line to the gin joint quote from earlier." Ziva laughed slightly. "However, I was not expecting to see you, and I can tell you were not expecting me."

"Can't say I was thrilled to see you honestly." Tony admitted. "Gibbs has his basement, I pick a quiet bar.. How'd you end up there anyway?" Ziva shrugged. She'd driven for a while and picked it at random.

"Were you expecting someone else to be here tonight Tony?" She asked softly. I hope I did not... what did Abby say... rooster block you?" Tony roared with laughter, doubling over and sloshing some wine onto the pillow, wholly incapable of correcting her. "What did I say? I just meant that I did not mean to interrupt your plans."

"Oh no, my plan worked just fine." Still struggling not to laugh, Tony flashed a brilliant smile and a wink, unsurprisingly the dark eyes watching him rolled skyward, the face unamused. "Not really," He came clean "If the opportunity had presented itself I wouldn't have said no. I can't say that's my priority after a case like that though. You know?"

"Hmm..." Ziva nodded wisely, tilting her glass to her lips agian. "Even Ducky would agree that err... physical comforting can be quite effective stress relief. Although, the company afterward can leave a lot to be desired." They shared a knowing glance, both with their share of awkward post-pickup conversations.

"Were you there to pick up Zi?" She hid her face for a second, taking another long sip. Tony smirked to himself, humming something that sounded like _"Ziva wants to sco-ore"_ under his breath. Leaning across the bed Ziva punched him - not exactly hard, but hard enough - in the chest and he fell quiet.

"Well... if the opportunity presented itself I would not have said no." She echoed his words. "Sometimes it helps after a case no?"

"Shame I'm a man of my word, the opportunity could have well presented itself." Tony laughed as Ziva pulled a face. "Hey, I promised you no funny business. Even if it turns out that's what we were both there for."

"Well that is your loss is it not DiNozzo?" With a quick smile, Ziva swung her legs to the floor, bending to retrieve her satchel. " I am off to bed."

"Hey Rapunzel, you forgot this. Would be fun explaining to McGee why I had to return it to you on Monday morning." 'This' was the hairbrush and he lightly tapped her on the shoulder with it. Ziva, taken by surprise and unable to hide her response yelped in pain.

"Damn it Tony!" She hissed, her hand coming to cradle her shoulder.

"Crap Zi, how bad is it?" Tony leaned to the nearest candle and brought it closer, his other hand reaching to pull the clothing away from her skin. To his surprise she didn't flinch or draw away, her only action to pin the neck of her shirt in place so he couldn't see down the front. The flickering candle did not do her injuries justice, but Tony could see the olive skin was a mess of purply-black bruising.

"Those crates were no feather bed." Ziva acknowledged. "You should see my ribs." She shifted again, slipping the robe off her right arm completely, hitching the shirt up carefully. Even in the half light Tony could clearly see the imprint of a size 10 boot, blotchy and raised along her ribs.

"Yikes. Put it away." Tony winced in sympathy. "You must be feeling it pretty bad." Ziva, managing to find her wall of defense again, shrugged noncommittally.

"It is not that bad. I have had worse." she lowered her shirt again.

"How were you planning to pick up like that?" Tony queried, standing and going through the small drawer in his bedside table.

"If I had had company I would have had a Tylenol instead of beer... and left the lights off." There was a slight warmth and humour in her reply. "What is this?" Tony sat back down and offered a tube of something.

"Arnica ointment. It will help the bruising go down." There was a buzzing noise in the room, then a whoosh from the heating vents and the apartment slowly flickered back to life, the clock beside them flashing 12:00 repeatedly. Both agents blinked in the sudden change, only the lamp had been left on but compared to the candles it was bright. For the first time they were both able to take in each others' faces properly. The pain and tiredness on Ziva's, the genuine concern on Tony's.

"Thank you." Ziva took the tube from Tony, reading the label. She stood to shimmy her dressing gown off completely, as Tony moved to reset his clock and blow out the candles. Squeezing a small amount onto her hand, she reached around to apply it to her bruised shoulders, her fingers sliding under the neckline on the shirt. She grimaced in pain again, her aching muscles resisting even an action that would likely soothe them.

"I got it." Tony sat beside her, seeing the discomfort written on her face. She didn't protest, instead handing him the ointment quietly.

"Thank you Tony. I would appreciate that." She shifted to sit on the edge of the bed, her feet on the floor and leaned forward to rest her elbows on her knees, exposing most of her back to him.

"You know, this could give a guy the wrong - oof!" Tony had leaned close, his words barely a whisper in her ear, his nose nuzzling against her temple, but the sentence ended abruptly when her elbow met his stomach. Aware that she was still tense with the closeness, despite the better lighting, Tony backed off, and took his time, laying his hand on her back, waiting till she relaxed before easing his hands under her shirt.

"When you're ready Ziva." He waited, his hands resting lightly against her skin until her posture relaxed and she gave a slight nod. He moved to slide his hands along her spine, the clingy shirt restricting his movements.

"It is hard for me to trust someone at my back sometimes Tony. I need some time to adjust." Ziva explained quietly, her growing comfort with his closeness lowering her usual independent, unfeeling facade. Tony's fingers brushed an older, raised scar and understood. "Wait, this is hard." Tony had gone to work his hands up toward her shoulders, but paused again.

"When you're ready." He repeated, realising that though the scar may have healed, her soul had not. She shuffled away.

"No, I meant it is hard with this shirt you picked." Ziva explained.

"You could just take it off." Tony tensed his belly against the expected elbow at his cheeky suggestion. "Or I'll lend you something bigger." He added when Ziva did not react. She took a deep, steadying breath, and although nothing physical changed, Tony realised he was suddenly a lot closer to her than he had been seconds ago.

"No Tony, it is fine. I trust you. Could you...?" She motioned for him to turn his head. Confused, he did so and heard the rustle of fabric and felt her shifting on the bed beside him. "Okay."

"Uhh... Ziva?" Tony turned back, to find her laying on her belly, her face turned toward him, her shirt gone.

"You gave me your word. I trust you." She repeated quietly. He settled beside her on the bed, and when he placed his hands gently on her back again, she did not flinch. Softly he rubbed the cream into the bruises, avoiding some older crisscrossing scars when he realised she tensed again. Her back was a veritable rainbow of bruising, but somehow the skin still soft beneath his hands. Occasionally a small sigh would slip out, her eyes half closed as she relaxed beneath his ministrations. Scooping her hair gently off her neck, Tony began working on the bruises there, kneeling up to reach without pressing himself against her.

"Do you want me to do your ribs?" Tony paused, her back now having a slight sheen from the cream. The bruising on her ribs was higher, reaching toward her underarm, just colouring where the curve of her breast began. Ziva paused thoughtfully, then shifted carefully, rolling so her ribs were exposed but covering the rest of her body with the dressing gown. It was Tony's turn to feel awkward in the intimate position now, glancing down at Ziva's relaxed, trusting face on the pillow, flushed with alcohol, her dark eyes heavy lidded with rapidly approaching sleep. He lightly placed his right hand against her rib cage.

"Do not tickle me." Ziva mumbled, Tony gulped a little, and started low on the bruise, in the curve of her waist. He took his time moving upward, pausing as his fingers reached the top most rib before the flesh began to fill out again. "Go ahead Tony, I could not reach it properly anyway." Ziva's voice was low, smoky with sleep, as she arranged herself again, her arm stretched above her head, so Tony had full access to the bruising.

"If you want me to stop, say." Mr Confident was gone, acutely aware of the trust she was instilling in him, he was anxious to do that justice. He edged his fingers upward, another sigh coming from Ziva's lips. He worked around the bruise at the side of her breast, focusing on the area under her arm and in her armpit, careful not to tickle. As his hand came back down, he allowed his fingers to brush lightly over the incline where her breast began, and when Ziva did not react badly, his touch became more assured, applying the ointment gently to the discoloured skin.

Her cheek resting against the soft cotton pillow slip, Ziva felt Tony's fingers brush against the side of her breast. Despite the cool, sticky cream his hand was pleasant, her skin tingling in response to the gentle touch. Ziva growled inwardly feeling her body react to the gentle touch in an entirely non-coworker way, frustrated by her body's betrayal at something she was trying to keep friendly. She managed to suppress an appreciative squirm, but a low moan slipped out, and Ziva turned her head, hiding her eyes from him.

_"This is not Ziva... this is McGee..." _Tony chanted in his head. _"This is Ducky... Gibbs... oh god Ziva, don't do that!" _The moan vibrated under his hand and Tony gulped again, he was used to the women in his bed being far more exposed to his gaze, but somehow the half inch of skin he could see was making his mind run wild. _"Palmer... in a bikini!"_ He shuddered at the thought, anything to keep his mind and touch platonic, Tony hurriedly finished his task, his hand making one long, gentle caress down her ribcage of its own accord.

"Thank you Tony." Ziva said softly. Her voice, though sleepy was rich, silky and went straight through him, causing an immediate reaction, heat pooling in his belly. She rolled slowly, keeping herself covered, to gaze up at him sleepily, reaching to brush his arm in thanks. Tony shifted back from her quickly, breaking the eye contact. "Tony?" Ziva queried rolling onto her other side toward him.

"Anytime Zi... well not anytime, I mean, it's not exactly something you'd expect me to do in the office. But you know, after a case or whatever, though I guess you can do it yourself." Tony babbled trying to cover the effect she was having on him, turning away and bunching his robe in his lap.

"Tony, are you okay?" Ziva's asked, confusion in her voice. She didn't understand his sudden withdrawal.

"Peachy David." He swallowed the last of his wine in a single, vicious gulp.

"Even I can tell that is sarcastic DiNozzo." Ziva rolled some more, toward him. He flinched away. "Did I do something wrong?"

"Yes! No... could you put your robe on?" Ziva puzzled, as she was still well covered although not technically wearing it, obliged quickly and discretely. "Not that I would have any problem normally with you sitting there topless, but I do. I promised nothing inappropriate and you're making it damn near impossible."

"What do you - oh!" Ziva suddenly realised. "I am sorry Tony. I did not mean to make you uncomfortable." She yawned at the end of her sentence, stretching out her last words. "It is just that I trust you. I knew that I was safe to let you help me."

"I know Zi, and believe me I get how big a deal that is for you. But you... this... your..." Tony waved his hands around indicating Ziva, stretched out along the bed. "I had to picture Palmer in a bikini for crying out loud." Ziva smirked a little at that.

"Tony, you were good to your word, and I thank you. But you do not need to be embarrassed that seeing me so close had an effect on you. It's not as though you have kept the fact you would like a look a secret before. Even without our history, it is the normal human response to the situation." This time, when she reached to brush his arm, he didn't pull back. "I am sorry, I did not mean to make things hard for you Tony."

"Rule Six David, and don't talk about hard." The last part was in an undertone that she barely caught, and accompanied by a rueful laugh.

"I did not mean to give you the wrong impression Tony. Honestly. Besides, you said it yourself, how would I pick up with all those bruises? They are not exactly centre-page material." The tiredness was fading again, a desire to make things right with Tony taking precedence.

"Centrefold." Tony corrected automatically. "Don't you get it Zi? The bruises aren't pretty, but they're part of you, this crazy, kick ass ninja assassin who happens to be lying in my bed, half naked, letting me rub her back and moaning. I'd have to be dead to not find that attractive."

"I did not mean..." Ziva started, the warmth in her cheeks deepening. "It is not as though I could ignore where your hands were either." She admitted.

"I knew it! Still got the magic touch!" Tony crowed, a smug smile forming as he settled on the bed, so they were both lying on their sides facing each other.

"I did not say I intended to act on that Tony. Just that it was pleasant." Ziva responded, relieved that Tony seemed to be his usual self again.

"You're one crazy ninja-chick." Tony informed her. He leant right across her to pinch her wine glass. When her hand crept to his waist, he started, splashing more wine onto the bed.

"Why is that Tony?" Her dark eyes gazed up at him with amusement, her fingers digging into him slightly to still him, "And do not steal my wine."

"Because Ms Da-veed." Tony stretched out her name, still hovering above her body. "You have the _incredibly_ talented Very Special Agent Anthony Dinozzo more than willing to provide that physical comforting you mentioned earlier, which I might add, would spoil you for any other man in the future. You said yourself you were after some company tonight, but when it's right there in front of you, you're suddenly 'no funny business' - you must be crazy. Not stealing by the way, sharing." He slid his hand under her head, lifting it slightly and pressing the glass to her lips, his thumb catching a stray bead of wine that missed her mouth, smoothing it across her bottom lip.

"That _very_ Special Agent also happens to be my colleague, and more than aware of Rule 12. My priority is my job Tony, you know that." Despite the seriousness of her reply, Ziva's voice was light, her hands not leaving his waist.

"This wasn't a date really." Tony responded, as he took another small sip. "More like a chance encounter."

"Not sure how Gibbs would feel about that technicality." Ziva smirked, pushing back so her head was resting against the pillow, his hand still cradling her. It drew his body down somewhat closer to hers, their legs now pressing full length against each other.

"If Gibbs could feel this I don't think he'd have a mind for technicalities." Tony rested his right forearm on the pillow beside her head, bracing so his torso remained above her, still aware of her injuries. His left hand still held the wine glass, offering Ziva another sip, before having one himself. Their mouthfuls were small, drawing out the moment, and leaving as much as possible in the glass.

"Hmm." Ziva agreed, shifting beneath him slightly. Her hips rocked a little, grinding against his thigh, and one hand found its way to the back of his head, her nails raking lightly on his scalp.

"Playing with fire Zi." Tony growled. He tipped the glass to his mouth again to steady himself. It was difficult with the new closeness, and harder still to offer Ziva some more. By the time he'd wriggled enough to set the glass aside, he was lying between her legs, drawing a shuddering gasp from both of them. Tony's head dropped to rest in her neck, tracing his nose slowly up and down the curve there.

"I am playing with fire?" Ziva raised one eyebrow beneath him, shivering as nerve endings fired when his lips brushed, but not kissed her neck.

"Well, I am hot." Tony deadpanned, then gasped as the small chuckle from Ziva made her body tremble beneath him. He looked her right in the eye, "Look Zi, I'm all for a little teasing and flirting, but you wanted to keep things friendly. I can't think of the last time I laid with a friend like this."

"Neither can I Tony." Ziva rolled her body under him, dragging her nails down his spine. "Perhaps that means this is not a friendly situation?" Spotting the smallest drop of red wine in the corner of his mouth, she leaned up, putting her lips close and with a gentle nip and flick of her tongue cleaned it away. Tony groaned deeply.

"You're killing me here Ziva. What about no funny business?" Tony queried. He was absolutely, one hundred percent in favour of where things seemed to be going, but the volatile nature of the woman beneath him made him hesitate.

"This is not funny Tony." Ziva whispered against his lips. "This is very, very serious." Opening her mouth a little more, she trapped him in a slow, sensual kiss. Needless to say, she did not sleep on the couch that night.


	4. Ground Rules

**Author's Note:** Reviews and subscriptions already - thank you! I've got the next couple of chapters in my head, so hopefully I won't keep you waiting too long!

**Chapter 4 - Ground Rules**

Tony stirred slowly into consciousness, he was facedown on the pillows, sprawled across the middle of the bed, and wait... naked? He sat up quickly, blinking and looked around. Headache - check, rumpled sheets - check, warm dint on the other side of the bed - check, full bladder - check. He dashed across to the en suite to relieve himself, the mirror was foggy, and one of the towels looked used.

"You did good DiNozzo." He murmured to himself, peering into the mirror, studying his neck for any signs of love bites, when he found none, he twisted to see his back. "Can't have been that wild." He commented to no one in particular when his back came up clean. He leaned closer to inspect the cut on his eyebrow, it had bruised now, a spectacular purple. "Bruise..." He said thoughtfully, glancing down at a familiar hairbrush on the counter. "Ziva!" He exclaimed.

Turning, he bolted from the bathroom, grabbing his robe and throwing it on as he charged down the hall. Skidding to a halt in the living area, he surveyed the room. Ziva stood in front of the stove, a pan sizzling as she focused on her cooking. She had evidently made herself at home, her hair in loose, damp curls down her back, wearing one of his shirts and the pants he had provided the night before. A glass of juice and box of aspirin sat on the counter.

"Good morning Tony." She turned to him, pan in hand. "Coffee is ready and breakfast is not far off either."

"What is going on here Ziva?" Tony stammered, tightening his robe.

"I am making breakfast Tony. It is the least I could do after your hospitality last night." She winked at 'hospitality.'

"No... no... this is... this is like _date_ behaviour, that was NOT a date!" Tony burst out. "What we had was not a date... it was just... just..." He began pacing, agitated.

"It was sex Tony." Ziva set a plate of scrambled eggs in the centre of the table. "Sex that we both needed,"

"But you're cooking breakfast, in my kitchen, wearing my clothes. You're not getting all _Single White Female_ on me are you?"

"What does my skin colour have to do with this?" Ziva queried, retrieving a plate of bacon from the oven.

"It's a movie... never mind, my point is, this is not 'just sex' behavior." Tony continued pacing, though closer to the table, the aroma making his stomach growl.

"Look outside Tony. I cannot go anywhere. I thought we may as well be fed and comfortable." Ziva explained patiently. Tony glanced out the window, snow was thick in the air, it would be impossible to see. "I understood as well as you what last night meant. Company and comfort, nothing more. I assure you, I am not in the habit of making one night stands breakfast."

"Oh thank god for that!" Tony exclaimed. "I thought I'd log onto Facebook and find myself 'in a relationship' with you."

"Not likely, now sit down and eat." Ziva scoffed, motioning to a chair.

"Pity you don't make a habit of this," Tony remarked, mouth full. "I could get used to it. "

"But then it would not be a one night stand, would it?" Ziva smiled, flattered at the rate her cooking vanished from his plate.

"One night and one morning?" He smirked hopefully.

"We shall see. It certainly was therapeutic, and I am still bruised." Ziva replied, a mysterious smile curving her lips.

"What?" Tony gulped the mouthful of coffee suddenly, wincing as the hot drink burned his throat. "Did my ears deceive me or did Ziva 'no funny business' David just agree to round 2?"

"Perhaps I did. I canno't go home yet and you deserve a chance to live up to your claim of ruining me for all other men." Ziva met his eyes, with a flirtatious smile.

Tony redoubled his efforts to shovel every scrap of food into his mouth as fast as possible. Ziva laughed and shook her head, continuing to eat at a more leisurely pace.

"Phew, Zi, that was incredible." Tony sat back in his seat, hands over his belly. She smirked at him over her coffee cup savouring the taste, even Gibbs wouldn't have been able to find fault with the brew. "So... I've gotta admit, I'm not that familiar with morning afters that are really just the night before, not sure offering another drink is the right thing to do."

"I doubt it Tony. I have had painkillers this morning." Ziva responded, still finishing her meal.

"I should have some too." Tony nodded, "So where do we go from here... other than the bedroom I mean?"

"Ground rules." Ziva replied. "This stops when I leave here and absolutely does not follow us to work on Monday if you know what is good for you."

"Done." Tony agreed easily. "Although McGee's face when..."

"Tony, do not forget I am not able to leave. It would be unwise to make me angry." Ziva warned, although her voice was not especially threatening.

"What happens in the apartment stays in the apartment, got it." Tony replied. "What if we uh... want a Round 3 at a later time?" He was fairly willing to follow along with Ziva's rules, having found himself in most situations before and being comfortable with almost anything a woman could throw at him.

"We can text. On work nights we do not sleep over. No flowers, no pet names." Ziva informed him.

"No strings attached, can do. What about dinner?" Ziva thought for a second.

"We will take it in turns as we do normally. I do not want one of us to feel like we owe the other"

"Other people?" Tony reached over and picked a piece of bacon from her plate.

"Perhaps Abby." Ziva shot back, purely for the amusement of watching him choke on the pilfered food.

"Give a guy some warning before you get kinky would you?" Tony spluttered, stealing her juice now, and draining the glass to clear his throat.

"I do not want to know where your mind went on that one DiNozzo." Ziva regarded him with an amused smile, "I would expect you to tell me if you begin to date someone."

"Whoa - why would I be the one to find someone?" Tony seemed a little affronted.

"I do not see myself looking for anything serious in the near future. I have too much luggage." Ziva returned quietly.

"Baggage Ziva, and anyone worth your time would love you with it anyway." Tony said gently, he reached across the table to cup her face. She lowered her eyes, a warmth spreading through her cheeks.

"Thank you. Of course I would tell you if I began to date. This may not be a romantic arrangement, but you deserve better than to be sharing me." Ziva responded, "And I do not share well either."

"Right, so if either of us find a partner we call it off, no problem." Tony accepted, stressing that Ziva was equally as likely to find someone new.

"You saw me last night Tony, we have known each other for years, and I could barely let you touch me. I do not imagine letting someone I have known for less time to be so intimate."

"You certainly didn't have a problem with me touching you later on." Tony remarked, leaning over to sneak a brief kiss. "And yeah, I know you mean the backrub thing. I get it, different levels of intimacy." He rolled his eyes before she could correct him.

"No..." Ziva said, rising and coming around the table to stand beside him, and he immediately put his arms around her waist. "I definitely did not have a problem with you, Very Special Agent DiNozzo." Her hand slid into the neckline of his robe, caressing his chest.

"Hmm... I think you'd better show me just how comfortable you are around me." Tony pulled her into his lap, kissing her deeply.

"Are we clear on those rules DiNozzo?" Ziva asked breathlessly as she broke the kiss.

"Crystal." Tony replied.

"One more rule I think..." Ziva kissed him, punctuating her thought.

"Oh?" Tony gripped a handful of her hair, tipping her head back, and pressing kisses along the exposed arch of neck.

"Yes, I absolutely never..." She rolled her hips in his lap, "ever want to find that _that,_" she ground harder, "is just your knee."

"Oh it won't be." Tony assured her, sliding his hands beneath her backside, standing so she wrapped her legs around his waist. "Tell me, shower or bed?"

"Shower, then bed." Ziva kissed him hard as he headed back toward the bedroom.

"I like the way you do business." Tony murmured against her lips, carrying her to the bathroom.


	5. Back to Normal

**Author's Note: **Thank you so much for the reviews and alerts everyone, I haven't stopped smiling! Soph, I think you're just about my most favourite reviewer ever! The timeline is Season 7, post Somalia, but before Jet Lagged, because that trip to Paris would be SO much more fun with this in the mix, and would explain their weirdness about telling the others they shared a bed. We'll say it's around episode 10 to tie in with the weather, seeing as that was the Christmas ep. After that I expect to go AU, I don't like CI-Ray very much, and don't see myself keeping canon with that, although jealous Tony could be fun... we'll see I guess!

As to the no strings attached thing, I don't think they can make it work as just that, they're definitely meant to be a couple, but I doubt their characters would outright just admit it and get together in a straightforward fashion.

Loving the reviews, seriously guys, keep it up!

**Chapter Five - Back to Normal**

They woke late in the afternoon, twined around each other. Ziva stirred first, lifting her head from Tony's chest to roll back onto the pillow. It was her groan when her aching body reminded her she'd slept through lunch and another dose of pain medication that brought Tony around.

"Morning." He smiled, dopey, rubbing sleep from his eyes.

"Afternoon actually Tony." Ziva motioned to the clock. He started at the time and sat up, running his hand through his hair.

"Wow, guess we needed that sleep hey?" He chuckled, remembering. Ziva rolled her eyes, her injuries had kept them relatively sedate, although by no means had they found it disappointing. "Wait... I slept. How did I sleep next to you? You snore like a freight train."

"Saleem, he..." Ziva delicately brushed the bridge of her nose. "I had to have it fixed. I could not breathe. The surgery also changed the way I sleep."

"I wouldn't have asked if I'd known it was that." Tony looked sheepish, aware it was a sensitive issue.

"I cannot hide these things forever Tony, and you seem to get them out of me more easily than anyone else." Ziva explained. "If I tell you, it is easier to talk about it more often."

"It was definitely easy enough to get you out of your clothes." Tony smirked, motioning to the rumpled pile on the floor.

"Indeed, but I expect the roads will be clearer now, I feel it is time I put on my own clothes and left you to it."

"C'mon Zi, once more for luck?" He rolled across the bed, stroking her shoulder gently, twining a loose curl around his fingers.

"No, I think perhaps we are becoming a little more comfortable than our arrangement allows." Ziva shook her head.

"If the roads are clear enough for you to go get your car, then they're clear enough for pizza delivery." Tony's stomach growled audibly, supporting his suggestion. "We'll both get dressed, and watch a movie. Maybe even call McGee and Abby over?"

"A movie night?" Ziva enquired, despite the fact she was shifting the energy toward platonic again, she did not bother covering herself to find her bag and a clean change of clothes. Tony laid back quietly, appreciating the view. "Honestly DiNozzo, did you ever leave adolescence?"

"You should be very much aware by now that I am all man." He caught the pillow she threw at him, returning it with equal force, only to see it bounce off the now closed bathroom door. Chuckling to himself, he went in search of his own clothes.

Ziva emerged from the bathroom a few minutes later, and on finding the bedroom empty, went back to the living area. Tony was dressed as well, jeans and an OSU hoodie, she smiled at finding he'd put another glass of juice and more pain tablets on the table. He was loading the dishwasher, if they were going to have the rest of the team come by, the signs of breakfast for two needed to be gone.

"Thank you." Ziva took the medicine quickly, adding the empty glass to the dishwasher.

"Bit overdressed for a movie night aren't you?" Tony observed, taking in the straight cut work pants and cream blouse.

"It was all I had in my bag Tony." Ziva explained. "Unless you have something else?"

"No," Tony chuckled. "It's 3 now, we've got enough time to go get our cars and for you to go back to your apartment to change. Even with your driving you wouldn't beat McGee here, you should be later."

"That is a good point Tony." Ziva accepted the slice of toast he offered, the painkillers not meant to be taken on an empty stomach. "I will help you clean up here, then we will go." She gestured back to the bedroom with the messy wine-stained sheets.

"Sounds good," Tony agreed through his own piece of toast. They finished the dishes, distracted briefly when Tony flicked Ziva's rear with a tea towel, and she pinned him to the fridge, her fingers in a pressure point on his neck until he apologised. Further distractions ensued in the bedroom, when in the tangled linen, the underwear Ziva had shed the night before came to light, and another wrestling match took place as Tony cheekily queried if he could keep them as a trophy. Ziva was not so harsh as she had been in the kitchen, kissing him into submission, prying them from his hand when he relaxed. Eventually though, the apartment was clear of signs that Ziva had stayed the night, and donning overcoats the two agents made their way downstairs.

Much to their chagrin, the cab they found was the same as the night before, the driver wasting no time in pointing out with a lecherous grin that Ziva had apparently found somewhere to sleep after all. Tony had to spend much of the drive back to Ziva's car practically sitting on the fuming Israeli to keep her from attacking the crude man.

"Cool it ninja." He hissed as Ziva squirmed in her seat, when the driver glanced back at Tony and gave him another knowing wink.

"I am going to kill him." Ziva growled, trying to wriggle free from Tony's grip.

"Listen buddy." Tony hissed, leaning forward. "I hope you have a lot of vacation time built up, because if you say one more word, you're going to need it to recover. Capice?"

"Whatever." He sneered. "Just calling it like I see it, and the way I see it, you have me to thank for that pretty piece of ass back there." Ziva just about leapt from her seat, and Tony grabbed her around the waist.

"At least let him pull over so he doesn't kill us too." He hauled Ziva backward onto his lap. For someone who was shorter and lighter than him the effort needed to hold her back was surprising.

"Pull over here." He directed to the driver, still struggling to keep the brunette ball of fury contained in his lap. "Don't even think about the fare." He spat, heaving Ziva out of the cab, following quickly to restrain her again. Another string of curses flew from Ziva's mouth in Hebrew, as Tony grabbed her elbow, firmly escorting her away from the cab. By the time he'd got her several yards away, the profanities stopped, but she was still seething.

"Chill ninja. I've got his cab number, the LEOs will be happy to check out those bald tires on Monday. I'll put a BOLO on him." Tony spun her to face him, putting a steadying hand on each shoulder.

"I am NOT just some 'pretty piece of ass'" Ziva fumed. "I will find him and when I do..."

"No, you're a kickass ninja assassin who could ruin his driving career forever, and yours in the process. He's a smart mouthed, rude, uneducated chauvinist pig. He's not worth it." Tony risked a hug, whispering in her ear, "At least I'm educated though right?" Ziva rewarded him with a small chuckle, pushing him away.

"We will walk to my car and I will drive you to the base for yours. Yes?" Her eyes were warmer as they turned to cover the last few blocks to her car.

"Sounds like a plan." Tony agreed amicably. They made a few more plans as they went, Ziva agreeing to bring beer, if only to stop Tony's playful griping that she still owed him a drink.

"I will see you around 7. What are you doing?" Ziva pulled to the kerb a little away from NCIS, the CCTV cameras in the car park would not work in their favour.

"Texting you too." Tony explained, he'd just texted Abby and McGee to come for movies, with instructions for Abby to convince Gibbs to come too after Ziva pointed out it was likely he'd spent the night in his basement, the only nutrition he'd had since a bite of Tony's sandwich at lunch on Friday being bourbon from a jar. "Just in case." He winked conspiratorially as Ziva's phone beeped. Ziva shook her head with a smile.

"I will see you at 7 - yes?"

"Yeah, catchya David." Tony leaned across, a fleeting brush of his lips to her cheek and bounced out of the car. Ziva smiled and shook her head again, before heading home to change.

When Ziva returned to Tony's apartment, more suitably dressed for a night on the sofa watching movies, beer in hand, she could already hear bickering coming from inside, apparently Tim had arrived. She paused at the door, listening to them squabbling about the merits of comics versus movies, taking a second to collect her thoughts.

"You gonna stand there all night David?" A low voice behind her made her jump.

"Gibbs!" She spun around, face to face with none other.

"Who'd ya think it was?" He regarded her with an amused face.

"I did not expect you to be here," She explained, "It is good to see you."

"Can't say no to Abs." Gibbs smirked by way of explanation. "How you holding up?"

"You know how it is. It will heal. Hurts like a witch until it does." She did feel better, having found enough time for another quick shower at home, the hot water alleviating much of the ache, and more arnica on the areas she could reach. Behind the closed door, the carry on between Tony and Tim increased a few more decibels, Tony having moved from debating to an insult. Gibbs tested the door gently, it was unlocked, he put his finger to his lips, motioning to Ziva to get down. She nodded, slipping off her bag and placing the beer down silently. Seeing Abby come up the hall, Ziva gave her a signal to stay quiet too. The bubbly goth cocked her head, evaluating the situation quickly and whipped out her cellphone.

"This is gonna be good," She murmured, getting in prime video position. Gibbs and Ziva crouched ready, having no weapons, Ziva had her phone in hand too.

"Federal Agents - freeze!" Gibbs bellowed bursting into the apartment, he'd loosened the door without being heard, so his shoulder had it flung open easily.

"Drop your weapon!" Ziva was close behind. Tim did just that, dropping the DVD case he held, freezing with his back to the door, hands in the air. Tony performed what could only be described as a feline maneuver, leaping to the back of the sofa, assuming a defensive crouch, remote pointed at the door. His eyes focused on the intruders a second later and lost his balance in shock, toppling over, bouncing onto the cushions and taking out McGee as he crashed to the rug. Ziva lost it then, laughing heartily. Abby cracked up a second later, and even Gibbs could be heard chuckling softly.

Finally it seemed the two men on the rug realised they'd been had and began to untangle themselves from each other. Tim stepped on Tony's hand as he scrambled to his feet, with a sheepish "Hi Boss."

"Nice one McBowling Pin." Tony griped, standing up, nursing his hand. Ziva had doubled over in spasms of laughter, even though they hurt her back. Abby was grinning from ear to ear, still filming, Gibbs had nonchalantly gone and helped himself to the kitchen, putting on a pot of coffee.

"Can't leave you two unattended for a minute." Gibbs commented. "Try to act your age DiNozzo."

"On it Boss." Tony grumbled, still not seeing the funny side, glaring at Ziva who'd half sat, half fallen on the couch.

"And McGee, don't encourage him." Gibbs added. Abby entered the room properly, with Ziva's belongings, and bounced around from person to person for her customary greeting hugs.

"Stop pouting Timmy." She wrapped her arms around him. "It was pretty funny." She moved to Ziva who'd slumped back, taking deep breaths to steady her laughter. Taking Ziva's hands to haul her up for a hug, Abby felt the older woman still trembling with silent mirth. It was too much, the two dark haired women collapsed on the couch again in a pile of hysterical giggling. Tony hid a smile, it was most un-Ziva to be rendered helpless by laughter, practically sitting in Abby's lap as they giggled uncontrollably. He figured, with a mental pat on the shoulder, their activities earlier in the day had done her good.

"Did you see the way Tony...?" Abby trailed off in a fresh burst of laughter, Ziva following suit.

"Ok Abs, can it." Gibbs instructed, returning to the lounge, a cup of coffee steaming in his hand. "You too David. We got 'em good, but joke's over."

"Some joke." Tim grumbled, sinking into the other end of the sofa. Abby and Ziva desperately tried to straighten their faces.

"Just for that I'm picking the movies." Tony announced, regaining some grace as he sprang over the back of the recliner, landing and extending the footrest simultaneously

"Like hell DiNozzo." The first words Ziva had uttered to him all night, their eyes met, he could read her and knew she was picking the fight for the sake of normalcy between them. "We are not going to be subjected to one of your action movies."

"Excuse me David? You don't expect us to watch some sappy chick flick do you?" He bit back, accepting the challenge.

"Well why do you have them if you do not watch them?" Ziva stood up, heading toward a shelf of DVDs, preparing to reel off some titles. Tony jumped beside her, the two agents staring each other down.

"Knock it off." A slap to the back of both their heads had their foreheads bumping in the middle, Gibbs had taken advantage of their close proximity, although lightly, aware both were still recovering from the case. "Tony sit down, Tim, Ziva you're on the sofa, Abby go get some pillows. I'm ordering the pizza. Any more acting like kids and I'll head slap you all - got it?"

"Yes Boss." Four voices responded in unison. Gibbs sighed as he separated the team to keep the worst behaved couples apart. Tony and Ziva shared a quiet smirk, Mission No Strings Attracted seemed to be going well.


	6. Ghosts of Missions Past

**Author's Note: **Apologies for the long wait, been a house full of sickies here.

So many reviews and alerts as always - thank you so much! Should probably mention at some point that the characters aren't mine, I just borrow them.

Onto a couple of questions, not going to spoil the whole story, but I do have a good idea of how realising this arrangement isn't working for them goes down, but I'm still working on the catalyst for that scene. Pretty safe to say it won't be an unplanned pregnancy though, I don't see their characters coping well where they're at just now. I'd also go way OOC, and I'm doing my best to keep them in character as possible.

So glad you're all liking the moments, that's how my brain works, sketches random scenes, one liners etc and then I write to fill the blanks to work those parts together. I believe Gibbs can have a playful side, (as well as some weariness about Tony & Tim squabbling all the time) and I like that Mr Rule 12 himself inadvertently made it easier for Tony & Ziva to act like nothing was going on by having Tony be irritated with Ziva as soon as she got there, it can't get too hard for them just yet, we all need a bit of Tiva fluff in our day :)

Still loving the reviews and suggestions are always welcome! Anyway... onto the story!

**Chapter Six - Ghosts of Missions Past**

"Cut it out DiNozzo!" Ziva slammed her hand down on the desk, shaking crumbs from her hair. Tony looked down innocently, from where he had been perched on the corner of her desk, throwing some kind of cheese flavoured snack in the air and catching them in his mouth.

"Can't help it Ziva." He smiled disarmingly, "Don't like being left out." He pouted in the direction of Vance's office where McGee and Gibbs had been summoned earlier.

"Well find someone else to annoy. I am trying to work." She turned back to her computer, jabbing at the keyboard.

"There isn't anyone else, it's you and me." Tony motioned, the whole room was empty, it was close to 8pm that night, and shortly before going home the Director had called Gibbs and McGee, with instructions for Tony and Ziva to stay put.

Ziva growled under her breath, he was obnoxious today. They had been keeping up the facade of (not quite) professional bickering well for some weeks, with their non-dates happening 2 or 3 times a week. The apparent tension at work served two purposes, keeping Gibbs, McGee and Abby unaware of the arrangement, and somehow the frustration between them transferred to passion after hours. The constant aggravation helped them keep their 'relationship' strictly business, as it left little room for anything more intimate to blossom as well, making them both feel safe.

Tony had moved, wheeling his chair over and propping his feet on Ziva's desk, at first playing a game on his phone, then collecting all the paper clips he could find, linked them into a long chain and began to tape them across the front of her desk, allowing them to fall in curves between each piece of tape, much like Christmas lights. He sharpened every single pencil she had to a fine point - a dangerous move given the scowl on her face - thought better of it, and proceeded to draw cartoon figures on sticky notes until they were blunt again. It was when he began to 'wallpaper' the back of her cubicle with the decorated notes that she leapt from her chair, and before he knew quite what had happened, Ziva was sitting on his back, pinning one arm behind him, her other hand on his head, pressing his cheek into the grey industrial carpet.

"I swear to God Tony, you touch one more thing on my desk and..."

"You'll what David?" Ziva glanced up, Gibbs was standing directly in front of her, and McGee, now at his desk, attempting - badly - to hide a smirk.

"Yeah David what _will_ you do? Ungh!" Tony taunted, and Ziva ground his head a little more firmly into the floor.

"Let him up Ziva. Tony, learn to respect Ziva's space. Do that again and I won't stop her next time." Ziva stood up, offering Tony her hand to help him up. He accepted, coming to his feet and straightening his clothes.

"Won't happen again Boss." The Senior Agent promised cheerfully.

"Better not. Now if you two can restrain yourselves from playing grab ass, the Director wants a word." As though on cue, Vance appeared, passing a folder to Tony and Ziva.

"Nora Williams," he began, McGee brought up the image of a blonde, smiling woman on the screen between his and Tony's desk. "She's got a major testimony coming up in the Berringer trial. You two are to escort her safely here."

"Seems straightforward." Tony nodded. Ziva flicked through the folder.

"Her testimony is all we have as far as bringing this guy down, the documents have been lost. We don't yet know what kind of danger she may or may not be in, be on your guard. Agent McGee has organised your transport and accommodation. Vance went on.

"Yes Director." Ziva replied.

"Where is she and when do we leave?" Tony asked, having not so much as glanced at the papers in his hand.

"Paris," Gibbs spoke up. "You fly tonight."

Ziva collapsed wearily on the sofa in the hotel lobby, leaving Tony to organise checking in. It was a long flight, she was tired and wanted nothing more than a shower and a nap. Although it was noon local time, the flight had taken place overnight as far as Ziva's body was concerned, and while she'd slept most of the nearly 8-hour flight, it did not equal a night's rest in bed.

"What do you mean there's only one room?" Tony asked the receptionist his voice raised a notch.

"Sir, we received a booking for David DiNozzo." She explained politely, saying David as though it was the male christian name. "Unfortunately we're at capacity and cannot separate you two, the room you are booked into is the only one available."

"Da-veed _and _DiNozzo! Two separate people!" Tony exclaimed, emphasising the correct pronunciation of Ziva's surname. At his raised voice, the manager eased over.

"Monsieur, please I must ask you to keep your voice down. Perhaps a complimentary room service dinner tonight for the two of you will help make up for the inconvenience?" The manager stepped in. Tony was appeased with the offer of free food, finishing checking in and getting the room key.

"C'mon Zi." He shouldered her bag before she could protest.

"What is going on Tony?" She enquired, noticing his face still looked aggravated.

"I might have to kill McGee, that's what. He made the booking here, turns out they thought we're one agent named David DiNozzo. We've only got the one room."

"Not if I kill him first." Ziva replied, following Tony toward the elevators. This was new territory for them, on duty, alone together, overnight, and neither one knew what the other was thinking about their arrangement.

The room cheered Tony up quickly enough though, it wasn't as fancy as the suite they'd had the last time they'd shared a hotel, undercover some years earlier, but it was nice, and the bed looked comfortable. Ziva disappeared into the bathroom for a shower. Tony immediately made himself at home on the couch, flipping through the channels on the generous TV.

Ziva emerged from the bathroom, her hair loose around her face, the natural curl showing through in the slightly damp locks, a cloud of steam following her into the room. Tony looked up and smiled.

"Well _ma cherie_" He said in his best French accent, "How about we order some lunch and find a movie?"

"We are here to work DiNozzo. I am not your dear." She informed him tersely. She had added "No pet names" to their rules a week ago after Tony had murmured an endearment in Italian as he'd drifted to sleep. Sweetcheeks and Hairy Butt seemed not to apply though, being both said and received with a smirk.

"We're not getting Nora until tomorrow morning Zi, and we're in _Paris_, The Moulin Rouge, Can-Can Girls..." Ziva glowered, "Arc de Triomphe, The Louvre, the Eiffel Tower." He added quickly.

"This is not a vacation." In spite of her words, Ziva flopped onto the bed, stretching out. Tony got to his knees, turning and regarded her over the back of the couch.

"C'mon Ziva. We're off duty till tomorrow. We should enjoy ourselves." He clambered over the back, crawling up the bed beside her, prodding her gently till she rolled to face him. "As soon as we're on duty, it will be business as usual, but till then, let's have some fun." Ziva buried her face in the pillows.

"No DiNozzo." Her voice was muffled, suspiciously shaky.

"Hey, what's up Ninja? Is it our arrangement?" Tony kicked his shoes off and shuffled closer beside her.

"No Dinozzo." She repeated, shrugging off his hand.

"What then Zi? I'm not a mind reader." Tony pressed. Ziva sighed heavily, she rolled to face him, though her hair stayed over her face and hiding her eyes.

"I am not leaving the hotel Tony. The last time we were on a mission and I left the hotel..." Her voice trailed off, leaving Tony to put two and two together.

"Jenny..." He said softly, realising. "Ziva... Zi... you were not to blame. The Director would have lost us one way or the other."

"I still should have..." Ziva began.

"Don't beat yourself up Zi." Tony awkwardly shuffled her until she lay in his arms. "Jen knew what she was doing, and how it would end. You would have done the same thing."

"Mmm." Ziva replied, her fingers unconsciously curling a handful of his shirt. She lifted her head for a moment, staring off into the room. Tony knew she was seeing a tall, well-dressed redhead regarding the pair from near the mini bar. So vivid was Ziva's imagination Tony could practically smell the glass of bourbon in her hand.

"I am sorry Jenny." Ziva murmured, her voice thick.

"Rule Six Agent David. Never apologise..." Tony found himself speaking before his brain had connected to his mouth. The phrasing as much like their late Director as he could manage, and being Tony, it was quite a likeness.

"It is a sign of weakness." Ziva finished for him, she lay back against his chest, the scent of spirit faded, replaced by the cinnamon and orange of Ziva's shampoo. Her body was relaxed again, and they were quiet for a few more minutes.

"Lunch?" Tony queried at length. Ziva shifted to look at him.

"Yes, airline food is far from satisfying." Although she'd rolled a little to tilt her face to his, they remained in the close, cuddling position.

"You up to leaving the hotel, or should we get room service?" Tony asked, he pushed the thick hair from her face, and cupped her chin lightly.

"We should eat out I think." Ziva replied, "It was something of a superstition, like seeing a black cat or breaking a window."

"Mirror." Tony smirked.

"Well, that is probably a good thing it is not a window. I have broken many in my day." Both agents chuckled. By mutual, silent agreement they had begun to get ready to go out and find lunch.

"You saw her didn't you?" Tony asked, changing his shirt.

"It was not a ghost if that's what you mean. I do not believe in ghosts." Ziva replied.

"No... more like the _The Tell-Tale Heart_. You know... he hears the heart of the man he murdered beating under the floorboards." Ziva raised her eyebrows cynically. "Your conscious wouldn't let her go." Tony clarified.

"Hmmm." Ziva replied. Tony took that as a yes. "I think perhaps I needed a mission like the one in LA to say goodbye properly. She has gone now." Her voice was firm.

"Well, that's a relief. I'm not sure I could perform knowing Jenny was watching." Tony smirked. Ziva unsuccessfully hid a small chuckle. "What's so funny?"

"I was just considering what she would have said if she could have seen us before." Tony chuckled too.

"Probably that it was inevitable." Tony mused. "I know you and Gibbs think nothing is inevitable, but I think Jen saw things differently." He found their room key, and they headed out the door.

"And what about you, Tony?" Ziva queried. He held out his hand, and she took it. Tony interlaced their fingers, raising the joined fist to his mouth to place a kiss on the back of her hand.

"Me? Let's just say nothing is impossible." He smiled, tugging her hand gently and towing her toward the elevator.

Later, full and satiated in every sense, Ziva woke up enough to stretch languidly and wind herself around Tony's body. He groaned comfortably, running his hand down the expanse of olive skin.

"Hey Sweetcheeks," he murmured sleepily. They had achieved lunch and a little sightseeing, before returning to the hotel for dinner and 'dessert'.

"You need a shower My Little Hairybutt," Ziva responded, untangling herself as she ended up nose first in his armpit.

"You're no bunch of roses either." He informed her, taking in her sweat-slick skin. "Why don't we fix this together?" Ziva sighed and stretched again, arching her back elegantly. Tony leaned over to nip at the crest of her hip bones.

"Get off." She fought him away, not unkindly.

"I'm trying." He protested with a smirk, moving to her neck. He could tell her eyes rolled and chuckled into the curve of her shoulder.

"Tony..." Ziva protested half-heartedly.

"Ziva..." He mocked, not letting up in his teasing attack.

"I am serious DiNozzo," Ziva pushed him away. "First light tomorrow, Ziva "No Funny Business" David is back. If you do not wish to find yourself high and dry until we are back home, I suggest taking a shower."

"Spoilsport." Tony pouted.

"I did not say that we could not solve this together did I Tony?" Ziva got up, and paused in the bathroom door, regarding Tony over her shoulder.

"In that case," Tony sprang to his feet, nudging her into the bathroom. "Hit the showers Probie."


	7. Taking Care

**Author's note: **Thank you so much for the reviews as always, great to see some familiar names, as well as some new ones. Sorry again about the wait, I wrote a chapter, only to suddenly feel that it needs to come later in the story instead, so now this one had to be written to move things along before I can post the next bit. There will undoubtedly be some angst coming, I don't see the transition as smooth, but for now, some fluff. Apologies in advance for the dodgy English lesson and Hebrew, I relied on Google.

**Chapter Seven - Taking Care**

Ziva knocked at the door of Tony's apartment. She had been home no more than 10 minutes before her phone had buzzed. Another long case had wound up, and the request for her presence was not entirely unexpected nor unwelcome, so Ziva had turned and headed out the door before her weary body gave her a chance to change her mind. Knocking again, her sharp hearing picked up the sounds of scuffling, her hand going to her hip immediately, her fingers falling around the side arm she had not had time to shed.

She tested the door, finding it locked, and knocked again, louder this time. The movement inside the apartment got louder, more frantic sounding. Silently she knelt, removing the knife she wore at her ankle and a pin from her hair and set to work. As the lock gave way beneath her trained actions, the handle turned and the door was opened from the inside, her hand flew to her side arm again, raising the knife quickly.

"Ziva!" Tony stepped back hastily on finding a knife, purely by Ziva's position, aimed at the most delicate part of his body.

"Tony!" The relief was not well hidden in Ziva's voice. "Why did you not answer me?" She sheathed the knife, accepting his hand to come to her feet. He grinned sheepishly, the apartment was in disarray, the sounds Ziva had heard being a rushed tidy up.

"Been kinda busy with the case, then I realised I should try and straighten up a bit. Hadn't counted on your crazy driving." Ziva looked around, acknowledging the apartment was a mess. "Why did you pick the lock?"

"When you did not answer, all I heard was shuffling noises. I thought you were in trouble."

"Do you ever switch those crazy Ninja senses off?" Tony queried, heaving a collection of old take out containers into a trash bag. Ziva raised her eyebrows, "I'll take that as a no."

"I was concerned Tony. What is so bad about that?" Ziva moved around the apartment finding coffee mugs and plates, abandoned mid-meal. He watched her for a second, interested that she would take to helping without a request or comment.

"Nothing Zi, good to know you've got my six. Just unsettling to think you could let yourself into my apartment whenever you want."

"What makes you think I have not already?" She smirked at him playfully. "Let me help." Having put the last of the dishes in the kitchen, she turned to Tony, taking one of the now bulging trash bags from each hand, leaving two for him. Taking the fire escape, they heaved the bags into a dumpster in the alley below.

"Planning to surprise me sometime are you?" Tony picked up the conversation as they climbed back up to the apartment. They resumed tidying, working around each other comfortably.

"Perhaps," Ziva considered briefly, a smile flitting across her face, filling Tony's mind with all kinds of fun scenarios on coming home to find Ziva already there.

"In that case I should probably just give you a spare key." Tony looked surprised as his ears registered the words. "I mean, it's good to have a spare outside the apartment." He covered quickly.

"Gibbs has mine." Ziva replied, giving him an odd look at the flustered expression, she'd missed the innuendo. She drained the sink and wiped her hands dry on a dish towel. The apartment was now reasonably clean, while the floor still needed mopping, it was no longer hazardous to sit on the sofa.

"Why Gibbs?" Tony asked, drawing her to him. She responded to the closeness, wrapping her arms around him and leaning into the embrace.

"After I... came back." Ziva chose her words carefully. "Gibbs would visit to make sure I was eating, sleeping. He did not exactly give me a choice about the matter. Either I gave him a key or he would pick the lock."

"He's good like that." Tony acknowledged, his arms came around Ziva's waist, he went to nuzzle her hair, realising it was still up in the tight braid she'd worn to work. "Did you even make it home?"

"Yes, but your message came not long after I arrived. I decided to leave before I got too comfortable to move." Tony looked apologetic. "It is no matter, I will just use your shower."

"Will you now?" Tony teased as he reached behind her to tug the elastic securing her hair, gently loosening the braid. He ran his hands through, finding a few more bobby pins, pulling them out as well. Once her hair was free, he cupped her head, raking his fingers over her scalp, she leaned her head back, sighing appreciatively.

"Yes Tony, I will." Ziva murmured, her eyes half closed, relaxing in his touch. She sounded tired, he realised more teasing would probably end in injury for him if her weariness translated to a short fuse.

"Come on then." Her eyes opened, disappointed, as he let go of her head, tugging her hands toward the bathroom instead. He threw the dirty towels in the laundry hamper, and noticed Ziva had already found clean ones and laid her weapons on the table next to 'her' side of the bed. Unbuttoning his shirt, Tony noticed Ziva sitting on the toilet, lid down, her eyebrows furrowed at a knot in the laces of her combat boots.

"Let me." He knelt before her, untangling the lace, quickly repeating the action on the other boot, he tugged them off, peeling her socks down as well. He pulled her gently to her feet, brushing a kiss to her forehead, and reached for the hem of her sweater.

"Tony I can do it myself." Ziva protested quietly, stilling his hands.

"Uh-uh Ninja." Tony shook his head. "You took care of me before, my turn to take care of you." He resumed his actions, easing the blue fabric gently over her head.

"You do not owe me Tony. You are a friend, I was just helping." Ziva yawned despite herself.

"I don't owe you, but you need help now." His voice was low, gentle. When she didn't protest again, he unbuttoned her blouse, kissing each shoulder as he pushed the material away from her skin. The shirt pooled on the floor, joined by her pants as he slid them down her hips. She wriggled out of them, using his outstretched arms for balance.

"Gibbs worked you hard hey?" Tony commented, noticing how her head drooped slightly. "You shouldn't have come if you were so tired."

"I am here now." Ziva shrugged.

"Guess my stamina is just better than yours." Tony prodded gently, pleased when she responded with an incredulous scoff. He took the time to turn the taps on, the room quickly filling with steam, and finish undressing himself.

"You napped for two hours in Abby's lab yesterday while I was making calls." Ziva reminded him.

"Oh yeah," Tony admitted with a sheepish grin. "All the more reason for me to take care of you now." He pulled her toward him again, unhooking her bra and sliding the straps down her arms. He looped his hands in the waist of her underwear and eased them down her legs gently. Standing behind her, and wrapping his arms around her waist, he used his body to guide her into the tiled recess. Ziva immediately turned her face to the spray, sighing as the warm water hit her.

"Thank you Tony." She ran her hands through her hair as water soaked it. Tony smiled, taking a bath puff, he'd taken to keeping a spare for her, and squeezing a generous amount of shower gel onto it. Holding it under the water for a second, he began rubbing it gently over her shoulders, building a thick lather quickly.

"I got it." He pulled the soapy bundle away when Ziva tried to take it. "Learn to let someone else take care of you for a change Zi. Unlike apologising it's not a sign of weakness." He worked gently down her body, taking his time, enjoying the way the beautiful woman stretched and leaned into his touch. He knelt as his hands passed down her belly and over her hips, moving down her legs, avoiding the more delicate area in the middle, unsure if the soap would irritate the sensitive flesh. She twitched slightly as he rubbed the puff over the tops of her feet, curling her toes to resist the lightly tickling sensation.

"Now would not be a good time to try and re-enact the opening scene from Carrie on me." Tony commented, working his way slowly up the back of her legs.

"What? I thought you would be quoting _Psycho_." Ziva glanced down at him.

"Gotta mix it up sometimes." Tony grinned, skimming his hands over the curve of her buttocks as he rose, coming to rest in the small of her back. He increased the pressure, using it both to massage her back, and pull her soapy frame against his.

"This is nice Tony." Ziva put her arms around him as he reached her shoulders, rotating them together so she was under the force of the spray so she could rinse off the lather. While she did, Tony grabbed his own sponge and scrubbed himself quickly, reaching for the shampoo before Ziva could.

"You've earned the Dinozzo Super-Deluxe Pamper Session. Turn around." He explained at her puzzled face, holding the shampoo out of reach - not that there was such a place in the small shower, but Ziva did not really fight him for it either. With a small chuckle, she complied, turning her back, and allowing him to apply shampoo through the long dark curls.

"It has been a long time since anyone washed my hair Tony." Ziva murmured, for someone who couldn't brush hair that gently, Tony sure knew how to lather shampoo, his fingers working on her scalp, lulling her into a near-catatonic state of relaxation.

"Just so you know, I draw the line at manicures." He responded and felt the tremor of Ziva's laugh against his body. "But, I'd wash your hair every night if you'd let me." He bent, scooping the hair up to place a kiss softly on her shoulder.

"I could get used to that." Ziva moved again, to rinse her hair. "Shall I do yours?"

"Nah," Tony shook his head. "It's all about you tonight." He turned her around gently to smooth conditioner through as well. A final rinse later, as the water began to cool, Tony handed Ziva a towel, and began to rub himself down briskly, Ziva, though refreshed from the shower, moved slower. Her thick curls held more water than Tony's own short hair, and he left her to it for a while, getting dressed in the bedroom and generally rummaging around.

"Hey, couldn't find your go bag anywhere." Tony tossed some of his sweatpants and a shirt at Ziva through the open bathroom door. The tighter clothes from the winter's evening that had started everything had mysteriously disappeared a while back. When questioned, Ziva had evasively murmured something about ninjas and changed the subject.

"Thank you. It is still in my car." Ziva began to get dressed, Tony disappearing again. When she emerged from the bathroom, she found him sitting up on the bed, a cup of tea steaming gently beside her gun on the bedside table, 3 or 4 DVDs laid out on the comforter. Climbing onto the bed beside Tony, she thanked him again with a sweet kiss. "You do not have to do this, really Tony. It is over the tip."

"Top." He chuckled..

"Whatever." Ziva rolled her eyes. From the kitchen, the timer on the stove beeping caught Tony's attention.

"You choose, I'll be right back." He jumped up, pointing to the DVDs. Studying the titles, Ziva sipped her tea. She set aside _Titanic _quickly, whatever the change between them it was not that sappy, there were a couple of romantic comedies from the early 2000s, with a smirk her eyes settled on a newer title.

"What'd you pick?" Tony returned to the room, holding a plate, seeing Ziva at the end of the room setting up the DVD. She tossed the case onto the bed for him. "_No Strings Attached_" Tony raised his eyebrows. "You trying to tell me something?"

"No, I like whatever... this..." she gestured between them. "feels like. It is nice to have someone take care of me without expecting anything in return. I just have not seen this movie before." She settled back on the bed, handing Tony the remote, in return he set a plate of grilled cheese on toast between them.

"It's no first class dining experience, but it was quick and easy." He offered, Ziva took a slice with a smile. They munched in silence for a while, watching the movie.

About halfway through, Ziva yawned widely, setting Tony off too. It was not especially late, but after the long hours they'd been putting in at work, a shower, snack and half a movie to unwind was all the energy left in them. Ziva moved for her hairbrush, the wild curls drove Tony crazy overnight getting in his eyes and nose, so she had taken to sleeping with her hair back.

"Can I?" He held his hand out expectantly for the brush.

"Sure" The pleased surprise was evident in Ziva's voice. Tony sat up against the headboard, spreading his legs into a wide V and patted the space between them. Obligingly, Ziva settled where he indicated, allowing them to both continue watching the movie as Tony worked on her hair. Finding a hair tie wrapped around the handle, Tony parted the dark locks into 3 parts and worked the curls into the loose plait he knew Ziva preferred for sleeping. He'd watched her often enough and knew to start low on the back of her neck so it didn't pull tight, still despite seeing it done, it was harder than he thought and it took much more time than Ziva's deft touch would have.

"Done!" He exclaimed proudly. The elastic snapped back, slamming onto his thumbnail. He cursed mildly, as Ziva reached back and felt his handiwork.

"I did not know you could do that. Thank you." She reached for his injured hand, kissing the offending digit and snuggled back into his chest, Tony automatically putting his arms around her, their hands forming an oversized fist in Ziva's lap.

"I watched you." Tony explained, as the dark head came back to rest on his shoulder.

"And you think it is unsettling to know that I can let myself in, you just watch quietly and take notes. A creeping Tom is much more unnerving is it not?" Ziva asked with a small laugh

"Peeping Tom, and yes if I was one that would be very creepy." Tony corrected, placing a kiss on Ziva's temple.

"If I _were_one Tony. When the statement is untrue, you say were, not was."

"So _that_you get right but you can't use a contraction!" Tony looked shocked. Ziva laughed, snuggling into him a little deeper.

"It is easier to learn the rules by heart than to keep them at all times." She explained simply. With a resigned chuckle - after all it was not just language rules they were expected to know - and another kiss, they turned their attention back to the movie for a little.

"What?" Tony jerked awake suddenly, his head had dropped onto Ziva's, he realised she was out, sound asleep on his shoulder. A glance at the screen told him they'd slept through the rest of the DVD, the main menu now looping, although one of them had managed to get the mute button at some point. "Nighty night my Ninja." He whispered, rolling her off him and onto the bed.

"What Tony?" Ziva groaned as her head hit the pillow.

"We passed out. Just tucking you in." Tony whispered with a soft kiss to her cheek.

"Mmm... _toda, ahuvi._" Ziva murmured, drifting back into sleep. Tony was suddenly wide awake. _Toda, _he knew what that was, thank you, she'd said it often enough before, but that last part, what was that? Ziva was still asleep, he got up and returned to the lounge, switching on his laptop on the coffee table.

"Come on..." He grumbled. It took him a couple of goes to get the spelling correct, repeating the strange word to get the right sounds. Finally his search yielded some promising links, he clicked the top one and waited as the page loaded. "Wow..." Tony murmured, reading the results - _thank you, my love. _


	8. What If?

**Author's Note: **Thank you as always for the reviews and more follows/alerts. I'm thrilled this story is being so well received!

**Chapter Eight - What If?**

It was about an hour before Tony was able to shake off the stunned daze he was in and make his way back to bed. Stripping to his underwear, he peeled back the blankets, and climbed in, careful not to disturb Ziva who was still peacefully sleeping. He lay quietly for a while, watching her sleep, his brain beginning to switch off and doze lightly.

Somehow, without being fully aware, he moved to the middle of the bed, his arms coming around Ziva, who responded immediately, kissing him deeply. Without words, they both realised what was going on, and had them gently undressing each other, kissing and touching intimately. They were slower than normal, none of the back breaking acrobatics, and unusually quiet, instead Ziva's eyes locking with Tony's, her gaze and body telling him more than her words would have. Her fingers pressed deeply into one hip, the other hand resting above her head on the pillow, Tony grasping it, their fingers lacing together as his forehead came down to rest on hers.

It seemed like an age of silent, almost breathless intensity later, when she came apart in his arms. Her hand left his hip to caress his jaw, pulling him close for a tender kiss. Tony could feel the tremors rippling through her body as her hips arched up to meet him, and the passionate, almost teary whisper of his name against his cheek. Her body seemed exquisitely fragile the way she trembled in his arms, and he leaned closer as though to stop her coming to pieces entirely, burying his face in her neck, whispering endearments as the sensation sent him over the edge a few seconds later.

"Sleep well beautiful." Tony murmured as they untangled themselves enough to snuggle alongside each other, Ziva's hand resting over his heart.

"And you Tony." Ziva responded as her eyes closed again.

-  
**  
**Ziva's eyes flickered open as sunlight began to filter into the room. She stretched, realising she was half lying on Tony, his arm around her protectively, her head resting on his bare chest. His head was tilted toward her, and she could tell his lips had been resting on her forehead. He stirred too, grumbling at the disturbance and trying to snuggle her closer again. Ziva relaxed into his grip, resting her head back down on his chest, sure enough Tony turned to brush a kiss to her forehead, leaving his lips in place as he drifted back into heavy slumber.

Knowing Tony wouldn't be woken for some time, Ziva lay quietly, drawing lazily with her finger on his chest, thinking deeply. There was something different about the way they were lying, normally they collapsed exhausted, tangled around each other, and rolled apart sometime during their sleep, this time they were twined around each other comfortably, intimately. She thought back some more to Tony's gentle words and touch, the concern she had shown at the beginning of the night, prepared to come to his rescue, the words that had left her lips as she'd drifted to sleep...

"Wassat?" Tony murmured as Ziva sat bolt upright, realising what she'd whispered in her sleepy, comfortable haze.

"Nothing, I am going for a run." Ziva climbed out of bed quickly and dressed, They were both naked, she realised and remembered the amazing, though overly-intimate session. She lifted Tony's keys from his pants in the bathroom, so as not to pick the lock on her way back in. Glancing out at the weather, she decided she would be safe barefoot to the car for her socks and trainers, and slipped out of the apartment quietly to run and think.

Tony stirred an hour or so later, rolling over and patting the sheets before he was fully awake to find the bed empty. Staggering upright and heading for the shower he remembered her mentioning something about a run. He shook his head, it was barely 6am, why on earth was she out running at this hour? His hip clipped the shower door as he stepped under the spray, he rubbed the throbbing joint and glanced at the faint bruises left by Ziva's fingers where she had gripped him. Last night had been something else entirely, none of the wild, almost violent amour they normally experienced, just an intense, almost sweet encounter.

Tony's eyes drifted closed, his mind replaying vividly the breathless, sweaty moments, he knew he wouldn't forget that experience in a hurry, the rerun in his mind at the present moment only serving to cement it further in his memory. Too distracted to focus decently, his motions on washing were half hearted at best, and he turned the taps off quickly. Towelling himself briefly and wrapping it around his waist, he headed out into the living area, his designs on coffee, when his eyes fell on the still open laptop, reminding him of the words Ziva had whispered as he'd tucked her in.

Feet pounding the pavement, Ziva's mind was on the same thing. The words that had so carelessly slipped from her lips, far too intimate, too friendly, too... everything for the arrangement between her and Tony. She'd plugged her earbuds into her cellphone and put on a heavy, throbbing tune Abby had loaded for her, but even the pounding death metal could not switch her brain off, it was on overdrive all the what ifs swirling in her mind. _What if Tony understood what she had said? What if Tony freaked out? What if Tony wanted more? What if I __**meant**__ it? _With a heavy exhale that had little to do with the exertion of the run, she increased the volume a few notches and headed for one more lap of the park.

Back at his apartment, Tony was not so anxious, strangely intrigued, yes, but worried no. Thinking back on his actions in helping Ziva shower and do her hair, making her a snack, he could see why she'd said what she had. They'd gained a new level of closeness last night, he figured even if his brain hadn't caught up, there must have been a reason he was acting differently towards her. After a few more minutes contemplation, he decided playing it by ear always worked well, he'd just see what happened next. A glance in the cupboards told him there was little for breakfast, then he realised his keys were missing, he figured Ziva had taken them so she could get back in easily. Whatever the mood she returned in, he hoped she'd bring something to eat too.

He wasn't disappointed when, about 20 minutes later a sweaty Ziva let herself into the apartment, a brown paper bag wafting the scent of his favourite egg and bacon bagel in her hand.

"Ahh... you must be psychic." He smiled reaching for the bag and leaning to place a kiss on her flushed cheek. Immediately he sensed something was off with her, she offered him a tight smile, handing him his food and heading to the kitchen. He joined her, pouring coffee as Ziva pulled down some plates. "Your coffee m'lady," he said with an exaggerated bow, handing her a mug. Ziva remained silent, accepting the drink and sitting down at the table.

"Zi?" Tony asked, after he had sat opposite her for a few minutes, wherein she had said nothing and barely touched her food or coffee. She lifted her eyes, but remained mute. Tony sighed, those beautiful eyes that spoke volumes were telling him more than her voice would, she was anxious, unhappy and on edge. "Last night?" He queried gently.

"I said something..." Ziva nodded the affirmative. "Did you understand it?"

"Yeah," It was Tony's turn to nod, a wide grin splitting his face. "I had to find a translation online. McGeek would have been proud of me. But yeah, I did." He reached across the table for her hand. "I don't know if I can say that back yet but..."

"Stop Tony." Ziva held up both hands. "I wanted to tell you that I should not have said it, we have an arrangement that does not allow for those kind of things to be said." Tony's smile faded.

"What if... we wanted to allow those things?" Tony asked hesitantly. Ziva paused, considering.

"I am not sure I want to be in a position like that." She responded somewhat stiffly. "This arrangement works because it does not affect our lives outside of the apartment we are in for the night."

"We're not robots Zi..." Tony began placatingly. Hearing himself speak he wondered what was going on, they had a great arrangement, why was he pushing for a more intimate level?

"But we are adults who are capable of following the rules we set out." Ziva replied.

"Not sure emotions follow rules Ziva." Tony shrugged. "Things happen without our control - what you said last night..."

"What I said last night was a mistake! I was tired and comfortable, I was not thinking." Ziva snapped back.

"So you say something like that and then just tell me it was a mistake?" Tony's voice raised a notch. "What, do you want me to un-hear it or something? It doesn't really work like that Ziva."

"You said yourself you could not return the sentiment, why does it matter?" There was a bitterness to Ziva's voice and she dropped her eyes again.

"No, but knowing that you feel like that..."

"That is what I am saying, I do NOT feel like that. I do not know why I said it, it was nice being with you last night, but that does not mean I love you." Colour rose in Ziva's face.

"Thanks." Tony huffed sarcastically. "Good to know I mean so much to you."

"You know perfectly well what I mean, do not act like that!"

"Like what?" Tony responded, affronted.

"Like I denied all feelings for you." Ziva responded, exasperated.

"Didn't." Tony muttered, "Just the way you can say so vehemently that you don't love me. Never said I was in love with you either, but doesn't mean I don't give a very big damn about you."

"There's a big difference between work partners or friends and what you are talking about." Ziva's tone lowered, becoming an aggravated growl.

"I'm talking about the woman who I've spent more than half my nights beside these last few months calling me 'her love' and then telling me it was a mistake. Whatever this relationship we've got is, that's not something I'll take too well."

"I did not mean to hurt your feelings Tony." Ziva's voice softened a little, "As a co-worker and a friend, I care about you, that should never have been a question."

"It wasn't Zi, it was... last night... the way we... well it was wow. I haven't felt like that in years. You can't deny there was something else there." Tony's voice was gentle, warm with the memory of the way she'd felt in his arms.

"I do not wish to deny it Tony. I just do not wish for it to interfere with what we have." Ziva pulled her hand back as Tony reached for it again.

"Well I'm sorry that I can't just flick the cold-blooded assassin switch and pretend nothing ever happened!" Tony snapped now, frustrated by her reactions. Ziva reeled back, the hurt clearly showing on her face.

"You said yourself we are not..." Ziva's English failed her as she got up and started pacing. "Not... puppets!" She moved her hands similar to a marionette, implying strings.

"No strings attached, yeah." Tony stood up too, to meet her eyes.

"Well why are you trying to tie things up now?" Ziva queried angrily, spinning to leave the room and collect her things to go.

"I'm not trying to do anything!" Tony bit back, grabbing her to face him again. "I just want to know why you're so freaked out that you called me that."

"I told you DiNozzo," Tony flinched, back to last names, this couldn't be a good sign. "It was a mistake. I do **not** love you!" An odd quiet fell over the room, the two Agents glaring at each other. The stare-down continued for another minute, Tony's cell breaking the silence.

"DiNozzo." He answered quickly, grateful for the distraction. "Yep, I'll call 'em. Be in soon Boss." He ended the call, turning to Ziva. "We've got a case, consider this your phone call."

"But we are not on call this weekend." Ziva immediately snapped back into professional mode, collecting her bag from the sofa and heading towards the bedroom for her weapons.

"Gibbs said Vance requested the team specifically. I've gotta call McGee and let him know. We've got to be there in an hour." Tony was a little confused how the passionate woman before him switched so seamlessly back to NCIS agent. "Look, Ziva I..."

"We have work to do DiNozzo, I will be in the shower. I need it after my run." Ziva cut him off and left for the bathroom. Tony stood there, hearing the taps turn on, feeling thoroughly bewildered, almost on autopilot as he dialed McGee.

**A/N: **Don't worry, next chapter is almost done, I won't keep you hanging too long!


	9. Dancing the Night Away

**Author's Note: **Another long wait. How can it take so long to type out a story I wrote in my head in an hour? Sorry everyone! On the upside, this is much longer so it should keep you going for a while :)

For those wondering, I did some decidedly half-assed photoshopping and red hair does suit Ziva! The dress was somewhat based on this - but obviously with a colour change and slightly higher backline!

I can promise those who asked there won't be a new boyfriend or girlfriend in the mix, and they WILL make it up :)

Thank you so much for the reviews, this is getting very close to being my highest-reviewed story ever :)

**Chapter Nine - Dancing the Night Away  
**

They travelled to NCIS separately, having managed to avoid talking to each other while they'd finished getting ready. When the team was assembled in the quiet squadroom, Vance had disappeared into MTAC, leaving them wondering why they'd been called in. Gibbs put them to work on cold cases, and Abby, who'd been called in as well, bounced down to the lab.

It was an odd silence in the room, none of the usual bustle of a weekday, added to that the visible tension between Tony and Ziva. Ziva was apparently in work mode, ignoring Tony completely. Tony, unable to focus so intently, kept glancing across at her, hoping to work out what on earth was going on in her head, and she in return kept shooting him silent glares. McGee caught one of the looks that passed across the small space and hastily suggested a lunch run.

"I will go," Ziva said quickly, grateful to have an excuse to get away from Tony for a while. She took the orders and left hurriedly. Gibbs said nothing, but she felt his questioning gaze on her back as she headed for the elevator.

When Ziva returned, she could see little had changed, Tony was still distracted and unproductive, Gibbs was glaring at his computer, and McGee was sitting quietly, trying to avoid either Tony's nervous tension or Gibbs's wrath. She distributed the coffees first, receiving various acknowledgement from the men as she placed each on the desk. She turned her attention to the bags in her hand, peeking in each one to hand them over to their correct owners.

"Gibbs." He nodded, accepting the sandwich. He turned his attention back to the computer, which dinged uselessly every time he pressed a key.

"McGee." Ziva had placed a vegetarian wrap on her own desk before handing McGee his lunch.

"Thanks Ziva. Boss, put the cursor inside the text box and... here." Gibbs' steely glare had Tim from his seat and resolving the problem quickly as Ziva approached Tony's desk.

"About time David, I was ready to die of starvation." Tony huffed. Ziva rolled her eyes.

"If you had not had such a detailed order, I would have been back here 15 minutes ago." Tony had requested a specific burger, from a specific shop, and had given Ziva written instructions to pass on about the way it was to be constructed.

"Well if I hadn't they might have made a _mistake._" Ziva glared at him darkly, spinning and heading back to her desk silently. Tony unwrapped the monstrosity, admiring it. In her peripheral vision, Ziva saw Gibbs' hand come into the air, tossing a pack of wet wipes across the bullpen onto Tony's desk. A second later, mustard and ketchup decorated the front of Tony's shirt.

"Thanks Boss." Tony mumbled, his mouth full, dabbing at his shirt. There was a few minutes silence as everyone ate. Tony texting with one hand, as he did his best to avoid making a bigger mess. Against her hip, Ziva's phone buzzed.

"_Can we talk?" _She read, putting down her wrap, she replied quickly.

_"There is nothing to talk about." _Tony scowled at the screen. Savouring the last bite of burger, he moved onto a donut. Powdered sugar joined the savoury condiments on his shirt as Gibbs' phone broke the silence.

"Gibbs." He said shortly, laying the rest of his sandwich aside. "On the way."

"Are we up?" Tony brushed his front down with little success. By way of response, Gibbs picked up his coffee and headed toward Vance's office. The three agents followed quickly, hurrying up the stairs behind their boss.

"A number of new recruits at Quantico have tested positive for methamphetamines," Vance responded to Gibbs' unceremonious entry without knocking by getting straight to business. "We've traced the supplier and from what we've discovered there's a new delivery due tonight, at a benefit ball hosted by SecNav. We've got permission to send in two wired agents, posing as Aurelia and Jeffrey Clarke, Jeffrey is a distant relative of SecNav himself, he married Aurelia about a month ago. Your job will be to observe only, we're under strict orders that this is to be a no contact op, it is still a Naval event and if it turns into a shoot out someone will have a lot of explaining to do to SecNav... and it won't be me." Vance narrowed his eyes at Gibbs specifically.

"I take it I will be posing as Aurelia then?" Ziva spoke. Vance nodded briefly, and Tony puffed his chest expectantly.

"Gibbs, you'll be escorting Agent David as Jeffrey tonight." The surprise was evident in the room. "Aurelia and Jeffrey are real people, and Jeffrey is some years older than you DiNozzo. They are distant, so no one will recognise you, but the basic features need to be covered. You and Agent McGee will be running surveillance, I will join you later in the evening."

"Right," Tony responded, deflated.

"David, you will have a small audio recording device, when you locate the suspect, you will have to plant it under the table, we're looking for Elias Conrad - the emails imply that Mattheus Humphries will be approaching him." Ziva nodded briefly, studying the photos of the suspects Vance handed her. "Other than that, I want NO contact with the suspects, you are a normal newly married couple enjoying dinner and dancing. SecNav's Security Detail will also be aware of your presence." Gibbs and Ziva both looked uncomfortable, the irony was thick in Vance's voice at the idea of Gibbs playing a 'normal' married husband.

"Hi!" Abby appeared on the screen on the wall. "You summoned?"

"Yes Ms Sciuto." Vance turned to her. "Agent David needs a dress."

"What makes you think I cannot dress myself?" Ziva queried indignantly.

"You will need to be wired, and have a small camera within the dress. Ms Sciuto and Agent McGee have been working on a device that will work, however you need to choose a specific style of dress." Ziva nodded assent as Abby squealed excitedly at the prospect of dress shopping.

"Zi, this is going to be awesome!" Abby disappeared from the screen momentarily, and reappeared with a Caf-Pow! She took a long sip, and began to launch into a suggested selection of colours, pink being absent from her breathless list.

"Thank you Ms Scuito. Agent David will be down with you shortly, with some photographs of the woman she is posing as. You both have the afternoon to take care of the arrangements. Gibbs, DiNozzo, McGee. Go and hire suits - if you do have to go in, you need to look the part." Nodding, the agents took their leave.

"And Agent David -" Ziva paused at the threshold. "I suggest you buy a wig." Vance handed over a photograph of the couple. Ziva and Gibbs glanced at the photo. Gibbs could manage a reasonable likeness to Jeffrey, with glasses and a run through of semi-permanent brown hair dye. Aurelia on the other hand, was a different story.

"Red hair." Gibbs sucked in his breath. He glanced at Ziva, shaking his head. "You had better be better behaved than some of the redheads I've known Aurelia."

"I will be on my best behaviour Jeffrey." Ziva promised with a smirk as Abby, coaxed out of her lab with the bribe of making over Ziva appeared at the speed of light, grabbed her by the arm and whisked her off.

* * *

At the suit hire shop, Tony was out of sorts, sulking and irritable. He'd bitten McGee's head off on more than one occasion already, and when he snapped at the seamstress adjusting his cuffs for pricking him with a pin, even though he had twitched impatiently causing her to slip, Gibbs lost patience with the sullen Senior Agent, applying a resonant slap to the back of his head as soon as the apologetic young woman was clear of the area.

"DiNozzo!" Gibbs barked, "I don't know what is going on inside that thick skull of yours, but let it go! We've got a job to do tonight, and we don't need whatever you're brooding about interfering." He added a second head slap when Tony opened his mouth to protest. "Got it?"

"Got it Boss." Tony rubbed the back of his head ruefully. Although he no longer snapped at anyone he was not himself, still brooding quietly.

About a block away in a ladies wear shop, Abby was having a blast, and even Ziva didn't seem to mind the fashion parade her friend had in mind, or was at the very least tolerating it well. "Come on Ziva!" Abby danced impatiently from foot to foot as Ziva changed behind the dressing room door.

* * *

"I do not know Abby..." Ziva's voice floated out doubtfully. A pile of already discarded dresses sat on the chair next to Abby. The forensic scientist had chosen carefully, making sure the cut of the dress would work with the device they would be attaching, but the lower back lines were causing Ziva some issue. She had worn a far more revealing dress when she had sung in Morocco, but did not feel exposing that much of herself to her team members and boss was appropriate or necessary.

"Come on!" Abby pleaded, finally the door opened, and Ziva emerged, barefoot, wearing the latest selection. Abby for a change was rendered mute, her wide grin and enthusiastic nod saying what her mouth could not.

* * *

In the bullpen, Gibbs was pacing. Uncomfortable in the stiff suit, he was eager to get the mission underway and finished as soon as possible. He was looking forward too, to getting home and showering until the hair colour Abby had bought him was gone. McGee was fiddling with his computer and several small boxes, and talking quietly to Vance, Tony was still sulking at his desk.

"Snap out of it DiNozzo. If you screw up, you're in for a psych eval." Gibbs growled as he passed Tony's desk. The elevator dinged, heralding the arrival of Abby and Ziva, from where they had been getting ready in the Lab. Four pairs of eyes turned to the steel doors as they slid open. Abby bounced out first, shrieking in delight at the sight of Gibbs all dressed up.

"Easy Abs." He laughed, returning her enthusiastic hug. She moved over to Tim, admiring his suit too, but McGee's flattered stammering fell quiet as Ziva appeared from the elevator. There was an awestruck silence for a second as Ziva approached them.

"Well?" She enquired, smoothing her dress self consciously.

"Wow." Even Tony was shaken out of whatever dark mood he was in. A long auburn wig, carefully applied framed Ziva's face, and fell to her shoulders in soft curls. The reddish hue flattered her, and combined with the pearlescent green in some lights, blue in others satin of the dress she wore, the tan of her skin seemed to develop its own luminescence and glow.

"I told you so!" Abby beamed proudly. The solid coloured satin was accentuated by a high waist with delicate beading, and the halter neck and structured bodice gently highlighted the curves of her upper body. The full length skirt dropped to the floor, pooling softly around her feet. "Turn around." Abby encouraged.

"Wow." It was McGee this time. As Ziva spun, the seawater fabric caught the light, changing hue several times. The halter neck was tied at the nape, and cut to her mid back, much of her smooth olive skin was exposed, beading continuing from the front to frame her bare skin. A gathered train finished the skirt at the back, shifting as Ziva moved, billowing out in a wide halo, to settle softly against her legs again as she stood still.

"Alright. McGee, let's get them wired." Vance cleared his throat. A sparkling brooch was the first to appear, and Abby carefully fixed it at the top of the zip on the back of Ziva's dress.

"Ms Scuito is responsible for that idea." Vance explained. "You can dance without appearing to watch anyone." Glasses with an inbuilt camera were produced for Gibbs, as well as his usual wrist mic in a watch, discreet earpieces were provided as well, Ziva's having a mic built in too, her long hair keeping it well out of sight. She was lastly presented with a black clutch, a camera built into the clasp to be placed on their table. McGee also explained the listening device Ziva was to plant. The final touch, plain gold bands for 'husband' and 'wife' which Abby presented with no small amount of giggling.

"There's a car in the parking lot, your Challenger is too distinctive." Vance threw Gibbs a set of keys. "Remember no contact whatsoever." The team lined up ready to go.

"Hold it!" Abby whipped out her phone, to capture her 'family' together. Instinctively Tony slipped his arm around Ziva's waist and smiled as she leaned into him. Abby beamed at the screen, Gibbs and Tim flanking the central couple. Tony's smile faded again as Ziva extracted herself and took Gibbs' extended arm. He may not have been happy about the role play, but was more than able to play the dashing gentleman to his stunning 'wife.'

"The ball wraps up at midnight." Tony did not cut in with the expected Cinderella quote. "Back here to debrief afterward." Vance instructed. Gibbs nodded curtly and led the way to the elevator.

In the car, Ziva and Gibbs were quiet for a while, both focused on the job ahead. Ziva quietly explored the purse, and noticed Abby had also included tissues, cushioning band aids if the simple black heels rubbed at Ziva's feet and the tube of lipstick she had applied earlier. She gave a small chuckle.

"Abs thinks of everything." Gibbs commented, noticing the tube in Ziva's hand. "Look, I got pretty tongue tied before, but that dress suits you."

"Thank you." Ziva replied softly, the rare but genuine compliment warming her cheeks.

"What's eating DiNozzo?" Gibbs changed topic abruptly, small talk apparently being out of the way.

"I do not know Gibbs..." Ziva decided on partial honesty. "I think he was expecting to take the lead instead of you. We had also talked about having a movie night, he is probably upset I do not have to suffer through another one of his action films." They stopped at a red light, and Gibbs fixed her with a firm look.

"Rule 12." He murmured, turning back to the road, the warning tone evident in his voice. He caught Ziva twisting her wedding band around her finger. Having no emergency stop switch, he pulled the car over rapidly instead. "David."

"Yes Gibbs?" She startled at the use of her surname.

"We are playing a married couple tonight. I need to know if there's anything that I should be aware of that will affect your ability to keep your mind on the job." No longer driving he could look her right in the eye.

"No Gibbs," Ziva replied steadily, meeting his gaze. "Whatever has rattled Tony's bars has nothing to do with our job tonight. Nor my role as your wife." Gibbs did not bother to correct 'bars' to 'cage' keeping his eyes fixed on her face.

"What about..." Gibbs blew out a deep breath, "Somalia? We will need to be in close contact."

"I have been cleared for work Gibbs. It is not as though we are playing husband and wife in private." Ziva dodged the personal topic, he narrowed his eyes, seeing through her attempt. She sighed heavily. "Yes I was... hurt by Saleem and his men. However, being touched by someone I trust does not cause me discomfort or unease."

"Good." He pulled back onto the road.

"You did not read the report?" Ziva queried.

"None of my business." He replied shortly "Not the medical part anyway. I trust you to tell me what I need to know first. If you don't then I read." Ziva nodded as he turned into the hotel, glad the conversation would be over soon. They saw the black surveillance van drive past, and seeing valet parking, pulled to one side, waiting until they had contact from McGee before continuing, knowing they would not have privacy to check outside of the car.

"Ziva, face your bag out." McGee hissed in her ear as the valet opened the door. She quickly turned the clutch around, allowing both Tony and McGee a good view of the man.

"Aurelia?" Gibbs had tipped the valet and offered his arm. In the screen showing the view from the frame of his glasses, Ziva's face smiled up at him, Tony bit his lip at the light in her eyes. In all their evenings together she had not once smiled like that at him, lust yes, amusement, most definitely, pure adoration, no.

"Thank you darling." She replied, and together they walked up the steps into the foyer. Gibbs played every inch the adoring husband as they walked through the foyer to the ballroom, and were shown their table. His hand never left Ziva's back or shoulder, pulling her chair out for her, and helping her to sit gallantly.

"Wow." McGee murmured, "He's good." He watched as the vision from Gibbs' camera blur close to Ziva's ear as he brushed a kiss to her temple, the normally rough voice of their boss murmuring an endearment. They were good actors sure, but Gibbs knew there was nothing like a compliment to get the desired smile and blush rising on his "wife's" face.

"Noted McGee." Gibbs replied softly. McGee stammered, having forgotten that the contact worked both ways. "Would you like a drink?" He addressed Ziva now.

"Thank you, a mineral water." Ziva replied, placing her clutch purse on the table. "Good Tim?" she added in an undertone. She followed his instructions so they had the best view of the room possible. They had arrived early, to allow themselves the best chance to scope out the room and guests as they arrived, and had been instructed to sit through the entree without drawing any attention. Along the sides of the room items for auction at the end of the night were lined up as well, meaning many backs were turned to Ziva and Gibbs, making it difficult to get a good visual.

In the van, DiNozzo and McGee sat quietly, watching the two small screens as people passed by. The light, affectionate banter between Ziva and Gibbs filling their ears, along with the sounds of a band setting up. Ziva laughed again, Gibbs leaning to take and kiss her hand. Tony's fingers crushed reflexively around the - thankfully empty - plastic water bottle in his hand.

"What's up Tony?" McGee remembered to cover his microphone this time and turned to the older agent.

"None of your business McGossip Girl!" Tony bit back, forgetting to cover his own. Ziva and Gibbs both started at the sudden noise.

"Knock it off DiNozzo." Gibbs growled into his wristwatch. Ziva's dark eyes were flitting around the room as the tables filled. They had arranged to have one of the few private tables in the room, so they didn't have to converse too much with anyone.

"Jeffrey," Ziva's hand landed softly on top of the work roughened one resting on the table. "I spoke to my sister, her flight will land at 4 o'clock." Gibbs swivelled subtly to his right.

"Got it McGee?" Gibbs murmured softly. At the agent's affirmative response, he turned back. "That sounds perfect." He stroked the long, tanned fingers gently, pressing a kiss to the back of her hand.

"What have you got?" A deeper voice in Ziva's ear told her Vance had shown up in the van and was watching.

"Visual of Elias Conrad." McGee's voice came through the earpiece now. There was some more hushed conversation between Vance and McGee, as the waiter served Gibbs and Ziva their entrees.

"Have we seen Humphries at all?" Vance spoke louder, indicating Gibbs or Ziva were to respond. They did so, subtly working it into their audible conversation that they had not.

"Any external activity DiNozzo?" Gibbs covered the question into his wrist mic as he wiped his mouth on his napkin."

"Nothing since the last time you asked." Tony replied sullenly, his eyes fixed unseeing on the external footage.

"DiNozzo!" Gibbs' growled.

"No one in or out for the last 15 minutes boss. Looks like everyone who's coming is in. The doorman has gone back to the reception desk." Tony replied more clearly this time.

"My love, did you see that book collection over there? It is behind table 18, where that tall man with the blonde hair is sitting." Ziva asked, Gibbs turned his head to look. "He has not faced the room all night." She added in a whisper for the benefit of the van crew.

"Could be him." McGee acknowledged. "Ziva could you turn your bag a little to the right? Looks like Conrad is getting edgy." Ziva obliged discretely, bringing the suspect they had identified into the centre of the frame McGee was focused on.

"SecNav heading your way." Vance warned, the van fell quiet and Gibbs and Ziva returned to their meals.

"Jeffrey, so glad you could make it." Gibbs shook hands, remembering they were supposed to know each other, and that the man in front of him was aware of the undercover operation. "This must be Aurelia, so lovely to meet you at last." He kissed the back of her hand.

"The pleasure is mine." Ziva smiled politely in return.

"Would you mind Jeffrey, if I stole a dance with your beautiful wife?" Ziva hesitated, 'no contact' certainly did not entail dancing with the host of the dinner.

"Do it," Vance murmured in their ears. "Keeps your cover story."

"Hmm," Gibbs pretended to consider, gazing at Ziva. "Bring her back in once piece." Ziva accepted the hand up, pausing to kiss her 'husband' on the cheek.

"Do not worry my love, I will be back soon." Her hand trailed back to hold Gibbs's until it was out of reach, and he watched her approach the dance floor, before getting up to wander around, "looking" at the items for auction. It was between courses, and many people were moving around, however the taller man at the back remained seated, and even when Gibbs strolled past appearing to look at the books Ziva had pointed out, he wiped his face with a napkin, clearly trying to avoid being approached or noticed. He could hear a low conversation between SecNav and Ziva in his ear, and listened carefully.

"Agent David isn't it?" The Secretary's voice was low, barely audible through Ziva's mic.

"Da-veed, yes." Ziva inclined her head slightly. McGee was using the opportunity to check the visual from her dress camera, and as long as she did not dance to anything overly fast, it would be useful, she had carefully steered them so her back was pointed directly at Elias Conrad.

"Anything I need to be aware of?"

"Visual of the suspects, situation is under control." Ziva informed him briefly.

"Good." He nodded and they finished the dance in silence.

"You'll need to plant that microphone soon," Vance told Ziva as the song ended and SecNav escorted her back to the table. Gibbs hurried back to pull her chair out and press a kiss to her cheek as he did. There was a few brief moments of small talk between SecNav and Jeffrey when Ziva interrupted, palming the small microphone in her hand and standing up.

"Excuse me for a moment." She disappeared into the bathroom, locking the door behind her and performing a quick sound check with McGee. It was a small enough device and simply an adhesive tab to stick it to the table, all Ziva had to do was get under the table long enough to press it to the underside. Leaving the bathroom, she took a slightly more roundabout route to her table, admiring some of the other auction items, passing too close by to Conrad's table.

"Oh! Excuse me!" She gasped as her hip collected a napkin, sweeping it to the floor, she bent to retrieve it, pressing the microphone quickly to the table and standing up to place the napkin back down. She moved on hurriedly, before he had a chance to respond or notice her too closely. He looked edgy and uncomfortable, but as Ziva moved on quickly his attention turned back to the room.

"Mains are coming," Gibbs informed her as she returned to the table. They both knew it meant a few minutes' reprieve as everyone would be seated and any movement to complete a deal would be too noticeable. They ate in silence, noticing that the taller man in the far corner still kept a low profile and Conrad, closer to them was edgy and picked at his food without really eating.

The low hum of conversation was slowly drowned out, as the band began to play again. There would be half an hour or so of music and dancing, followed by dessert and the auction. The activity in the room would likely provide the perfect cover for a deal, and Gibbs and Ziva went on the alert. A waiter passed by Conrad's table offering him more to drink, and it became apparent to McGee the music was drowning out the brief conversation.

"Boss, the band's too loud, we can't hear anything from the mic Ziva planted." McGee whispered.

"On it." Gibbs replied softly, wiping his lips on a napkin and standing up. McGee watched through Gibbs's video stream as he approached the band leader and with a subtle handshake and a discreetly passed note, the band struck up a much quieter, gentler tune.

"Action from the back corner, Humphries is on the move." Ziva said suddenly. Gibbs made his way quickly back to the table.

"Dance with me Aurelia?" He asked simply, holding out his hand.

"I'd love to," A smile spread over her face and she followed Gibbs to the dance floor, positioning themselves so Gibbs' camera could follow Humphries around the room, he appeared to be meandering casually, inspecting some of the auction items.

"Ziva, duck your head, you're obstructing the view. We need a clear eye on him." Vance instructed. Normally Gibbs would have had clearance over the auburn curls, but with the heels she had on, her head bobbed into the middle of the frame from time to time.

"You ok?" Gibbs murmured, pulling Ziva closer to let her head rest on his shoulder.

"Yes, it is fine." She whispered in return. "I did not know you could dance so well."

"There's a lot you don't know about me." Gibbs replied softly. Ziva chuckled quietly against him, and he kissed the top of her hair, continuing to dance, they were both aware they were being watched by other couples nearby, the aura of loving bliss they had created making people smile.

At their table, a waiter passed by, pausing to clear their empty plates. His elbow knocked the clutch sending it to the floor, he retrieved it, setting it back on the table, the footage in the van changing from Conrad to the busy dance floor.

"Lost visual from your purse Ziva." McGee spoke quickly.

"A waiter knocked it," Gibbs took the chance to reply as his mouth was near Ziva's earpiece.

"Can you get in closer with the camera on David's dress?" At Vance's request, Gibbs steered them gently through the crowd, rotating Ziva slightly. They came into the centre of the frame on the recently moved purse, Ziva wrapped in Gibbs' embrace, her head resting on his shoulder, swaying gently to the music.

"Uhh Boss..." McGee said. "Can you move your hand? Your thumb is partly over the camera." Gibbs had been resting his hand in a respectable position on the middle of her back.

"Higher or lower Ziva?" He enquired in a whisper, she considered a moment, weighing up bare skin on her shoulders versus the more intimate curve of her lower back and hips.

"Lower is fine." She replied softly, raising her head to whisper in his ear. "Thank you." She pressed a kiss to his cheek as she dropped her head again. In the van, the three watching men saw Gibbs' hand slide to the indent in the small of her back, noticing how he caressed the material for a few seconds.

"What are you packing?" He whispered with a small chuckle.

"Revolver where your hand is, knives on my ankle and thigh." Gibbs shook his head with another chuckle, they shifted so both of Gibbs' hands rested on Ziva's hips, her arms looped around his neck. It gave a clear view of the table from the back of Ziva's dress, as well as letting Gibbs continue tracing Humphries, even as he bumped his nose affectionately against Ziva's. Tony growled low in his throat seeing the intimate embrace.

"Got a problem DiNozzo?" Gibbs put his mouth near to Ziva's earpiece and enquired with a note in his voice that suggested he was tiring rapidly of the Agent's unusual, moody behaviour.

"No Boss." He answered quietly.

"Get out of the van and take five. When you come back you'd better be sweetness and light." Gibbs ordered, still whispering into Ziva's ear. There was some scuffling sounds and a thud as Tony dropped his headset and left.

"He's gone boss. Eyes on Conrad, Humphries is approaching his table." McGee spoke quickly. Gibbs and Ziva, who had become somewhat tense when Tony had grumbled, relaxed their postures again, Gibbs watching discreetly over Ziva's shoulder as the tall blonde man casually walked over to the table they'd been watching all night. In the van, McGee and Vance pricked up their ears.

"See anything you like?" They were apparently discussing the booklet with auction information that had been provided on all the tables.

"A few things of interest." Conrad replied noncommittally. "Thought you'd backed out."

"Getting antsy were you?" Humphries responded, the low music serving to cover their conversation to anyone nearby, although McGee could hear clearly.

"Yeah, got about 20 jarheads who'd have my ass if I didn't deliver tomorrow." He placed his booklet on the table. "Good stuff?"

"Top-shelf." Humphries lay his booklet down beside Conrad's. "You got the cash?"

"It's all there." The younger, brunette man nodded curtly.

"Well, it was good catching up with you again." Humphries spoke louder as he stood, "Let's not leave it so long next time hey?" The two men shook hands casually, then with a subtle motion to pick up the booklet Conrad had put down instead of the one he had come with, Humphries was gone.

"Watch him Gibbs, David, stay put so we can monitor Conrad." Vance ordered. The song ended, Gibbs and Ziva following the other couples in breaking apart and applauding softly, although far more stiffly, keeping their cameras centred. Humphries had returned to his table, and though they could not see what he was doing, he appeared to be rummaging in his lap, presumably counting the money. Conrad on the other hand was still edgy despite the deal being completed.

"Did we get what we needed?" Ziva asked in an undertone, resuming her position against Gibbs as a new song started.

"Should be enough to pick them up when they leave the event." McGee responded, some background noise told them Tony was back in the van, and was being brought up to speed. He didn't sound much happier, but had stopped the snarky remarks.

"Heads up," Gibbs announced, he noticed Conrad collecting his jacket hurriedly and standing up, as Humphries came striding back across the room. Seeing him coming, Conrad made a dash to escape, as Humphries lunged, glassware and cutlery clattered to the floor as he grabbed Conrad by the collar, pinning him to the table.

"Thought you'd get away with that?" He snarled, groping with his free hand, presumably for a knife.

"Move!" Vance ordered, pointlessly, Gibbs already had.

"Federal Agents, freeze!" He hollered, whipping out his badge and gun, apparently he'd not come unprepared either, despite the humour he'd found in realising Ziva had been armed. The distraction was enough for Conrad to wriggle free and head for the door. Gibbs landed his hand on Humphries shoulder as he made to follow, with a sigh Ziva hauled up the length of her skirt and, slipping her feet out of the heels, sprinted after Conrad, not noticing as she ran through the shards that remained of the wine glass.

"We're on our way in!" McGee assured in Gibbs's ear. He'd pinned Humphries successfully, and security detail were on the way over with handcuffs. Once he was secured, Gibbs headed out in search of Ziva, and found her about halfway across the lobby, straddling Conrad's back, her gun pressed between his shoulder blades. McGee and Tony burst in a second later through the front doors, puffing with the exertion of the dash between the van and the hotel.

"I've got him." McGee placed cuffs on Conrad, allowing Ziva to roll off him. She stayed sitting, the pain in her feet becoming noticeable now.

"Escort them to NCIS." Vance had appeared, and instructed, seeing both Humphries and Conrad in custody, the security detail left, with a growled instruction from Gibbs to keep them in separate rooms. "SecNav is going to want to know what the hell happened in there." Vance went back into the function to talk with SecNav and help smooth the situation for the other shocked guests.

"DiNozzo, bag and tag the book that Conrad dropped" Gibbs ordered. "David?" He noticed Ziva had not yet risen, she was inspecting the sole of her right foot. Blood stained her fingers, as she wrestled with a shard of glass, embedded in her heel.

"It is just the wine glass. I am not seriously injured." Gibbs knelt before her, lifting her foot onto his lap.

"Why'd you take your shoes off David?" He was studying the piece of glass. Although not big, it was stuck firmly. There was another in her left, although higher up in the ball of her foot, near her toes.

"I cannot pursue a suspect in heels." Ziva shrugged, Gibbs rolled his eyes, pulling out his phone. "I do not need to go to hospital Gibbs."

"Wasn't calling the hospital." Gibbs said, then addressed whoever he'd phoned, "Need you at NCIS. We'll be there in 20. No, nothing serious." He snapped his phone shut. "DiNozzo, you going to stand there all night? Go get the van and get back to base." Tony, having collected the evidence Gibbs had asked for, started having been standing, staring at Ziva in a haze.

"Uhh, right Boss." He shook his head, glancing back at his partner, still sitting on the floor, her skirt around her knees as McGee returned with a basic first aid kit from the van. He winced, watching as McGee and Gibbs applied some gauze pads to her feet. His concern turned to aggravation again, as Gibbs lifted Ziva in his arms, hoisting her across his body, bridal style.

"C'mon Aurelia, let's get you home." He addressed his 'wife' one last time, sharing a smirk with her as he dropped his head for her to loop her arms around his neck. "Get the door DiNozzo." Tony flung the door, wide enough for them to pass through, although not holding it, so it slammed shut behind them. He strode toward the gates, heading for the van, McGee picking up his pace to keep up with him.

"Ride with the Boss McGoodGuy." Tony snapped, Tim fell back, shocked, opening the car door so Gibbs could slide Ziva onto the back seat. The surveillance van shot past the hotel gates in a manner that suggested Tony had been driving taking lessons from Ziva as Gibbs got in the driver's seat.

"The hell is with DiNozzo?" Tim shrugged in response, and Ziva raised her eyebrows mutely. Gibbs fixed them both with a glare that plainly said he wasn't buying it, and it was an awkward, silent ride back to NCIS.

**A/N: Yes, I'm finishing up here, but it's already more than twice the length of my previous chapters. I'll pick the storyline up again straight after them arriving back at the office. **


	10. Only Man In The World

**Author's Note: **Thank you as always for the reviews, and a special shout out to Sophie for your amazing, in-depth reviews :) Nice to see some new faces yet again, and some regular reviewers coming back for more. You guys make it so worth writing. Please remember any questions or suggestions are warmly welcomed and I will do my best to get back to you!

**Chapter Ten -**

Ducky jumped as Gibbs swept through the doors of Autopsy, carrying Ziva. "Jethro!" He began, startled as Gibbs plonked Ziva, gently though unceremoniously on one of the tables.

"Glass shards, both feet. Where's DiNozzo?" Gibbs cut him off.

"I believe I saw Anthony heading towards the gym, he seemed most aggravated. Reminds me of the time..." Gibbs spun on his heel and left, Ducky still talking as he collected some instruments and washed his hands. Ziva cleared her throat gently, alerting the ME to the fact that they were alone. "Ah, my dear Ziva, let me take a look. Of course I'm used to patients that won't speak back, but I'm sure a piece of glass is not outside of my skill. That's not to say I've never worked on living patients before in fact, when I was a lad..."

* * *

In the gym, Tony had shed his jacket and tie part way across the floor as he headed to the punching bag, taking wild, unchecked swings, the heavy blue bag swinging back and forth. His face was set, angry as he swung with alternating fists, each solid _thump_trying to relieve some of the tangled mess of emotions. Gibbs strode in as Tony's right fist connected, sending the bag flying away from him. Saying nothing, he crossed the room, standing behind the bag and steadying it, allowing Tony to swing more firmly a few times.

"You gonna talk DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked, when Tony paused for breath. Tony opened his mouth, said nothing, and setting his jaw again punched at the bag a couple more times. "I'll start then. Behave like that in the field again and I'll be asking for your badge."

"Sor..." Tony trailed off, knowing Gibbs wouldn't want to hear his apology. "Won't happen again." He responded with a bitterness that let Gibbs know it wasn't just the odd behaviour.

"Right... penny for 'em?" Tony shook his head.

"Can't Boss." Tony knew Gibbs wouldn't want to hear any of it. "Not work related."

"It is when it affects you on the job DiNozzo. So, ya gonna tell me why you're behaving like a two year old who doesn't want to share his toys?" Tony flinched, as the comparison was closer than he would have liked. Catching the response, it seemed a light bulb switched on over Gibbs's head as he spoke and his expression grew stern. "Dunno how Ziva would feel about you considering her a toy..."

"All she wants to be..." Tony muttered under his breath.

"Not so hard of hearing as you might think DiNozzo. What the hell happened to Rule 12?" Pale blue eyes narrowed and glared at Tony, who realised there was no way out of this conversation.

"Never dated exactly." Tony shrugged.

"How long?" Gibbs understood immediately, and considered putting a Rule 12 a in effect - never sleep with a coworker.

"Just after Christmas."

"Who said it?" Tony was surprised just how much Gibbs had picked up on from the little he'd said.

"She did, sort of. In Hebrew but half-asleep. I looked up a translation online. I told her I knew but that I couldn't really... but if she did I'd... but then... it was a mistake..." Tony trailed off, realising he was starting to ramble. Gibbs sighed, he'd not expected Ziva to have said it first, just rebuffed Tony's attempt. It did explain her slightly more focused behaviour than usual this evening though, keeping her mind away from a personal, sensitive topic.

"So if you don't feel the same, why the childish behaviour?" Tony flinched again, looking for a way out. Gibbs crossed his arms, Tony wasn't going to be able to avoid what was going on in his mind.

"Dunno Boss... think, maybe... I do." He looked almost embarrassed with this admission. "Didn't like seeing her with someone else... realised I should be dancing with her." The ex-marine blew out a deep breath at Tony's words, he was in way deeper than Gibbs had originally thought.

"So you know what to do about it then?" Gibbs replied, Tony looked blank. "Jeez, do I need to spell it out for you? Sort it out. Do whatever you have to do to be the one dancing with her." Tony gaped for a second, unsure if he was imagining the conversation. "You heard me right. Fix things DiNozzo."

"What about Rule 12?" Tony still looked slightly dazed.

"Still applies at the office. I don't need you moping around, and Ziva when she's personally hurt is a dangerous agent, I don't care how it's fixed, just fix it." Gibbs added a gentle slap to the back of Tony's head, not hard, just enough to make sure the message would sink in.

"What do I...?" Tony began, but closed his mouth as Gibbs raised his eyebrow. "Got it, don't care, just do it." Some of his usual happy go lucky nature was back and he sounded more cheerful.

"Good, we've got a case to close." Gibbs strode out of the gym, Tony on his six. "Oh, and DiNozzo?" Gibbs paused at the door, as Tony collected his jacket.

"Yeah, Boss?"

"I'm not just 'someone else' Ziva was safe with me, always is. Throw another tantrum over that and I'll slap you into next year. "

"Got it Boss." A slightly subdued, though trademark grin, flashed across Tony's features as he hurried after his Boss.

* * *

Just before midnight, the team reassembled in the squad room. Abby was fussing over Ziva, who with the glass removed and her wounds dressed could walk, though gingerly. Gibbs and Tony had been busy questioning the men they had brought in, and McGee was reviewing the video footage. Ducky, his expertise no longer required, had gone home again. Vance emerged from his office, bidding SecNav and his detail goodnight, and walked down the stairs to the bullpen.

"So what the hell happened? SecNav isn't happy, but he knows we didn't make the first move." He queried, looking around at the still dressed up team. The men had removed their ties and jackets and undone the top buttons on their shirt, and Ziva was brunette again, but otherwise the clothing was still overly formal for a night at the office.

"Pretty straightforward actually. Conrad decided he wanted a bigger cut and tried to underpay Humphries." McGee explained, he and Abby had already been over the two brochures that had been brought back from the scene, combined with the information gained during interrogation.

"Which explains his hurry to leave." Ziva supplied. Her feet were resting on a chair borrowed from another desk, and white gauze pads were visible on both soles. The cuts would be tender and she would have to miss her morning run for a day or two, but they would heal quickly without long term problems.

"What about the drugs Ms Scuito?" Vance turned to Abby now.

"Nothing out of the ordinary, your classic methamphetamine. I'm waiting for Major Mass Spec to tell me more about it so we can try and trace the source." Abby reported.

"Thank you. I want finished reports on my desk first thing on Monday morning. Get home and get some rest." Vance instructed. The group stood up, collecting jackets and bags, Abby returning to her lab to put her 'babies' to bed. McGee sat back down to wait for Abby's return, he'd see her to her car safely, Gibbs nodded quiet approval at the gesture.

"Tony, take Ziva home, she can't drive yet." Gibbs instructed, Ziva opened her mouth to protest, although focused and unflapped by Tony's behaviour during the night, she was quietly furious and didn't want to be alone with him yet. Gibbs shot her a look telling her plainly not to argue as she slipped on a pair of loose fitting sneakers to protect her feet. "Take care of her DiNozzo." Gibbs added.

"On it Boss." Tony agreed, Tim and Ziva both looked interested at the change of manner from the sulking man they had seen earlier in the night. "What?" He glared at them both, offering his arm to Ziva, who stubbornly hobbled to the elevator unaided. It was a silent ride down to the parking lot, Gibbs giving Tony the barest tap on the back of his skull to remind him of their conversation earlier as they left the small box.

"Monday, 0730." Gibbs instructed over his shoulder. "David, you are letting Tony take you home. End of story." He added as an afterthought as Ziva made to slip away to her own car.

"Well Zi, my car or yours?" Tony asked.

* * *

It was a long, awkward drive back to Ziva's apartment. Ziva had sat silently in the passenger seat, scowling, and ignoring Tony, who had tried several avenues of smalltalk, playing the radio, humming along with the songs, and drumming his fingers on the steering wheel to get any kind of response out of her. When he pulled to the kerb outside her building, she got out of the car quickly, making it clear she did not want to be followed, which he did anyway, hurrying behind her as she climbed the front steps and crossed the lobby.

"Ziva, wait." Tony called after her. She paused at the foot of the stairs leading up to her apartment, "We need to talk."

"There is nothing to talk about Tony." Ziva repeated the text message she had sent earlier, turning to climb the stairs again, though more slowly, the pressure on the ball of her foot needing her to be careful.

"You might have nothing to say Zi, but I do, and I'd rather not do it out in the hall. Can I come in... please?" Tony waited a few paces away from her door as she found her keys and unlocked it. There was a long silence as Ziva considered.

"Very well," Ziva said at last, Tony sighed, relieved. "But it will be brief." Her manner was still stiff, Tony knew it would take every ounce of his gift of the gab to bring her round.

"Thanks... look... I..." Tony faltered as he followed Ziva into her home.

"You acted like a child!" For someone who had nothing to say, Ziva certainly found her voice now. "You were immature, rude, unprofessional, Gibbs and I had a lot to concentrate on, we did not need your huffing and stuffing in the background."

"Huffing and puffing," Tony corrected quietly, relieved she was not bringing up his 'cold hearted assassin' comment from earlier in the day. "I know, and it's going to sound ridiculous but..."

"I do not think anything could have been more ridiculous than your behaviour Tony!" Ziva snapped. She had gone into her room, and he was standing outside the open door, his back turned as she shimmied out of the satin gown, quickly throwing on pyjamas.

"No?" Tony challenged, forgetting his desire to make things right at her angry tone, "What about calling me your love and then telling me it was a mistake?" There was a distinct slam from behind him, suggesting Ziva had shut her wardrobe with rather more force than needed.

"You do not feel the same anyway Tony... what does it matter?" Ziva was behind him suddenly, her voice low and aggravated. He started at her sudden presence as she brushed past him, avoiding contact. She had donned pyjamas and a dressing gown, his company clearly unwanted.

"Would you hear me out Zi?" He followed her through to the kitchen as she got a bowl of muesli, she had barely picked at her dinner earlier, being too focused to really eat. Like Tony, her solo life meant she only needed a small table in the kitchen to eat at, and he sat across from her, placing both hands palm up on the table. "I get that you're mad with me, and you should be, but can I finish what I came to say? Then I'll be out of your hair."

"Go on. I will not interrupt." Ziva agreed, taking another spoonful.

"I said I didn't _think_I felt the same, and if you'd listened to the rest of what I had to say, you'd know I was willing to give it a try. Then, seeing you tonight, dressed up like that... in someone else's arms. I just..." Tony took the opportunity with her mouth being full to start talking. "Zi... I dunno if I'm in love with you exactly, but I'm definitely crazy about you. I was jealous alright? I get that Gibbs was the right man for the job tonight, but I want to be the one dancing with you, taking you out to dinner, making you smile like that. To hell with Rule Six, I'm sorry. I'm sorry I hurt you this morning, I'm sorry I was such a jerk, and I'm sorry I'm laying this on you now." He took a deep breath and stood, prepared to be told to get out.

"Tony..." Ziva paused, studying him. "This was supposed to be a simple arrangement, no emotions." She reminded him gently.

"Please Zi, not that again." Tony dropped his head, hurt. "It's not simple anymore, and my emotions _are _involved. I know yours aren't and it hurts like hell, so I'm gonna get out of here before it gets worse." He made for the door quickly.

"Would you stop assuming you know what I am feeling Tony!" He turned back as she stood rapidly, knocking the remains of her snack onto the tiles, her chair following suit as she moved toward him,looking him right in the eye for the first time in hours. "I do not know if I love you either. This is not something that I am used to feeling. But I learned something tonight, having a man who looks at you like you are the only woman in the world is not a bad feeling."

"Not to mention looking at him like he's the only man in the world." Tony added ruefully. Ziva sighed.

"We were acting Tony. Acting! Gibbs and I are no more in love now than we were before this began, and we were not in love to begin with! I do not know why you would think I would suddenly fall for Gibbs after playing his wife for an evening, but let it go." She extended her hand forcefully into his chest, emphasising her frustration. He put his hand over hers quickly, keeping it pressed over his heart, her fingers curled into the stiff, cool linen of the dress shirt he still wore.

"Okay, acting, I get it. But what does that have to do with you learning anything?" Tony asked hesitantly.

"Because I realised there has only ever been one man who treated me with that air of love and respect and..." Ziva shrugged, not quite knowing what the word she wanted to describe it was, Tony bobbed his head slightly indicating he understood anyway. "One who was not acting that is." She added softly.

"Oh?" Tony supplied, still convinced she was going to tell him to leave at any second.

"If I were Gibbs I would slap you." Ziva sighed. "It was you, last night."

"So why the freak out this morning?" Tony had to know. Ziva led him to the couch, her feet were sore and she needed to sit, they twisted to face each other, Tony not relinquishing his gentle grip on her right hand.

"Because this was not supposed to be... this, emotions and secrets and jealousy. I thought perhaps if I told you it was a mistake, we could go back to our arrangement and it would be fine." She admitted.

"But it's not fine," Tony put in, "We're both pissed with each other, we're both hurt, and neither of us actually know what the other is thinking." Ziva nodded assent.

"It is not fine." She agreed quietly, she shuffled to face him a little straighter, tucking one leg under, though carefully keeping her foot free from pressure.

"What do you want to do?" Tony asked, "I've told you what I want. I want to take you to dinner, dance with you, make you smile at me like I'm the only man in the world. I want to watch movies with you, talk till the sun comes up, braid your hair before bed every night, and wake up with you in my arms the next day. I might not be sure if I'm in love with you Ziva, but I'm willing to do all of that until I am... and till you feel the same." Ziva looked away quickly, but not quickly enough for Tony to see the tears that welled in her dark eyes.

"I need to go to the bathroom..." She extracted herself, instinctively his hand tightened against her wrist, stilling her flight reflex. "Just for a minute, I promise that I will be back." She stood, exiting hastily. Tony slumped back onto the cushions with a heavy sigh. This was not going well. His phone buzzed in his pocket, and absently he pulled it out to see.

"Abs," He murmured to himself, tapping the screen to see the picture attached to the text. It was the one she'd taken earlier in the squadroom, the team lined up in front of the elevator, dressed to the nines. He took in McGee's slightly awkward stance in the stiff suit, and Gibbs, unusual with his brown hair with a small smile. Then his eyes focused on the middle of the picture, he and Ziva, his arm around her waist, beaming at the camera, her body moulded against his side, her face tilted up to him instead of toward Abby. She was smiling softly, her posture relaxed, and the expression on her face filled with affection. Even through her anger and hurt with him, in the second of the photo, her face plainly showed the warmth and joy at being in his arms that she had not been able to hide.

He went back through his other photos, a couple of weeks earlier he had taken a few silly self portraits with his phone held at arm's length as he and Ziva had snuggled on the couch watching a movie. There it was, that same warm, affectionate smile in one, in the next, her dark chocolate eyes focused on him instead of the camera, even when the rest of her face suggested mild exasperation at his behaviour, a few more, silly faces, poked tongues, Tony giving her bunny ears behind her head, but always her eyes on him, and her expression loving.

"Don't I feel like the prize jackass?" He asked no one in particular, dropping his phone into his lap. He suddenly realised what he hadn't seen in all their nights together, what perhaps Ziva hadn't realised, she _already _looked at him like he was the only man in the world.

"Tony," He looked up again as she returned, the front of her hair slicked back, suggesting she had splashed a lot of cold water on her face. Tony got to his feet quickly to meet her, and she grasped both his hands. She looked right into his eyes, Tony noticing for the first time the tenderness toward him that had always been there. "Yes." She said simply.

"Yes?" He queried.

"Yes, I want that too. It is scary and unknown and uncontrollable. But if I cannot trust you to keep me safe in something like this, then there is no one else I can trust either." She breathed deep, feeling oddly as though she had just stepped off a cliff. Tony crushed her against his body, his hug with a strength to rival Abby's embrace.

"Ziva... Thanks, just thanks." For once it seemed Tony was lost for words, peppering her with kisses, his lips brushing over her brow, her cheeks, her eyelids as they fluttered closed beneath the barrage. Finally he found her lips, there would be lots of talking to come, but for now, kissing would do.

**A/N: **It's crazy late but it came to me in a hurry, so I hope it's not too rushed. There is more to come!


	11. A Very Happy Ending

**Author's Note: **My biggest apologies for the huge wait, we moved house and I've been without internet for ages. Still am actually, but worked out how to get my phone internet to connect to my laptop so I can post again thank goodness!

Again, so many reviews it's overwhelming, I'm really glad to see so many new faces as you guys read and enjoy the story as it unfolds :) Loving the feedback and having so many new alerts in my inbox almost every time I check!

Also, for the anonymous reviewer "Someone" on Chapter Two, "curb" is the US English spelling, while "kerb" is Australian/UK English. I am Australian, and you will notice I use favour rather than favor, realise rather than realize, and of course kerb rather than curb. I do my best to make sure I use American words to keep the dialogue in character (comforter rather than doona, pavement or sidewalk instead of footpath etc) but I will continue to use Australian spelling. I do make an exception for mum/mom though, the pronunciation on that one is different and I (and my kids) distinctly say "Mum."

Anyhow, please keep the reviews coming, I am absolutely loving them, onto the story!

**Chapter Eleven - A Very Happy Ending**

Tony got his wish that night, they talked till the sun rose, both he and Ziva curled at opposite ends of the sofa, a patchwork quilt in warm earthy tones spread between them and tucked around their feet. A movie played low in the background as they chatted, laughed at themselves, made plans for the rapidly approaching summer, and lapsed into simultaneous silence to smile at each other.

As the sky lightened, filtering in through the closed blinds, the conversation grew serious. They were treading gently this time, careful not to assume anything about each others' feelings, and there was no defeat, hurt or misunderstandings.

"We do need to clear some things up Tony." Ziva began, "What about Rule 12?"

"Gibbs knows." Tony answered, "Cornered me in the gym after we got back and did his voodoo thing... or whatever it is. I just talked."

"Well, I will never make you my partner in crime then!" Ziva laughed softly. "You would confess much too easily."

"Pity, I'd rather like being your partner in some crimes." Tony responded with a suggestive wink.

"Later." She nudged him with her toe. "What did Gibbs say?"

"Told me if I acted like that again he'd ask for my badge. Also told me to make things right with you, got me out of my funk. Rule 12 still applies at work." Tony summed up the awkward interaction with their Boss briefly.

"That seems fair does it not?" Ziva nodded. "I must agree, I will not change my behaviour at work. Although it is most un-Gibbs to tell us to break his rules, no?"

"I dunno Zi, I didn't say much, he just put two and two together and asked the right questions. Guess he knows this is bigger than what happens at NCIS. Must have worked out we do have some kind of life outside the job." They both smirked at that. "He doesn't want to know anything though. Just as long as we're back to normal on Monday. Apparently you're dangerous and I'm useless otherwise." They chuckled again.

"You should know however Tony, that although my priority is my work, you do not ever need to doubt my loyalty to you." Ziva's tone lost some of its lightness. "If I were to be partnered with Gibbs again, you cannot act like you did. For one, I have said I am yours, and I keep my word, and second, Gibbs is... Gibbs. He would never do anything that was inappropriate. You should know that Tony."

"Yeah," Tony looked a little guilty. "Gibbs had something to say about that too, let's just say I'd probably need rehab after the head slap he promised if I did that again. It just killed me you know? I just worked out I was crazy about you, and then you're off dancing with another guy. I know you were acting but not my favourite thing to see."

"Well, I cannot promise I will not be given another undercover mission Tony. But the fact that you feel that way is flattering."

"Didn't ask you not to take on anymore undercover missions, I just hope I'm with you when you do." Ziva smiled, her hand reaching to capture his.

"Thank you," She replied softly. "There has always been some friction about my dedication to my job. I did not want it to become a point of contention between us as well." Ziva's voice was low, her eyes not quite meeting Tony's as she admitted her concerns.

"Zi," Tony spoke gently, almost sounding amused, "We _met _at work, it's where I got to know you best. You've saved my butt and I've saved yours, we've been to hell and back together cos of NCIS. As far as I'm concerned, I owe it to work for bringing you into my life. Besides, you at work, Agent David, this beautiful, focused, talented, deadly, kickass ninja, it's one of the things I lo... I find most attractive about you." He covered quickly.

"That is very sweet Tony." Ziva turned pink beneath her tan. "But about that word..."

"Yeah, about it." Tony rubbed the back of his neck, looking embarrassed. "There are things that I well... yeah, I love about you. I want to be able to tell you that."

"And I you, Tony." Ziva responded, "But the feeling as a whole..." She trailed off, biting her lip.

"Me either. I mean, I guess I do, but I don't want to guess, I want to _know._ I am crazy about you though, that I can tell you for sure."

"I do not want you to guess either. I have heard those words used too often as weapons. If I say, or hear it, I wish for it to be genuine." Ziva met his gaze seriously. Brown eyes locked with green, both trying to find the way in unfamiliar territory.

"And it will be. I know I don't analyze emotions so much as you seem to, so we both know when I say it it will be totally inappropriate timing, and completely unexpected." Ziva chuckled a little. "But I promise when I tell you it will be real." He cupped the side of her face, his touch and gaze emphasising the sincerity of his words.

"Your unexpectedness is something I love about you Tony. It does not have to be a giant romantic gesture, it just has to be real. So... if we do not love each other exactly, what are we? What do we do?" They both looked thoughtful.

"I think Zi, we keep going like we agreed, we date, we have fun," The suggestive wink did not go unnoticed, and Ziva rolled her eyes a little, "and when we're ready we break out that big L word."

"I like the sound of that." Ziva agreed, "Dating. I am dating Tony DiNozzo." She tried the words out on her tongue. Tony grinned.

"I have waited way too long for you to say that Zi." He kissed her jubilantly. He looked at her for a second, evaluating, "Though, I was thinking something more like... I'd like you to meet my girlfriend, Ziva." He introduced to no one in particular.

"Your girlfriend..." Ziva mused, Tony hesitated, not sure if an official title was too much for her. "My boyfriend..." her lips curved in a smile around the words. Tony kissed her again, pulling her close, it was long and slow, charged with emotion. When they broke apart for air, Tony was grinning from ear to ear.

"This feels good," Tony kissed her again, scooping her forward into his lap.

"It does," Ziva agreed simply, putting her arms around his neck and kissing him again. It was much longer this time before they paused for breath.

"I like the idea of a girlfriend who I can kiss whenever I want." Tony admitted, somewhat distractedly as Ziva's lips traced the outer curve of his ear.

"Not quite whenever." She murmured, her voice low, her breath tickling his neck.

"Oh yeah... work..." Tony leant back, though his hands didn't leave her waist. "Are we going to tell the others?"

"I was going to say, 'but right now, I am all yours,'" Ziva shifted, and settled back into the curve of his arms. Tony sat, with his legs stretched along the sofa, Ziva snuggled sideways across him, her bandaged feet dangling off the edge. Tony grimaced, he'd taken what was probably an invitation back to bed far too seriously. "As to work, I think perhaps, for now anyway, I would like to have you to myself for a while."

"Not too long," Tony bargained, "I want to be able to tell the world about you."

"Not too long." Ziva echoed with a nod. "But long enough for us to find where we fit. I think after how much we have been through to get here, we owe it to ourselves to make sure we are in the same book before we let anyone else in."

"Seems fair," Tony agreed, "And we're on the same _page_, not the same book." He chuckled.

"Book, page, it is all the same story, no?" Ziva waved her hand dismissively. Tony laughed, leaning to kiss along her neck.

"As long as we're in the same one." He agreed. His hands moved from her waist to more sensitive curves on her body, and he noticed the goosebumps rise on her neck in response to his kiss. "I think this might be the scene they'll censor in movie version though." He murmured, nuzzling the soft skin.

"Providing they both have happy endings I do not much mind which it is." Ziva replied, somewhat nonsensically, distracted by the sensations Tony provided. He felt her hands roaming too, and inhaled sharply. Their actions were no longer about merely scratching an itch, and their caresses were slower and somehow more intimate, both exploring each other's bodies as though they had not been together before.

"Trust me Ziva," Tony rose carefully, sweeping Ziva into his arms. "There is going to be a very _very_ happy ending about now."

**A/N: **No, not the end, I have more to come, but it was a nice little wrap up for this scene.


	12. Worth The Wait

**Author's Note: **Sorry again about the wait, took me forever to find the angle on this one, hope you like it. Keep the reviews coming, I love it - only 13 to go till 100! Wow!

Chapter Twelve - Worth The Wait

In three short weeks, Tony and Ziva developed close bond, knowing without saying when they would be together and when they needed the night to themselves. Toothbrushes that had previously been solo on the bathroom counter now had a companion, an electric razor and aftershave had materialised in Ziva's bathroom, and Tony had not been especially surprised to find a box of tampons and a packet of hair elastics in his en suite Ziva made a space in her wardrobe where a couple of Tony's suits now resided, and he in turn emptied a drawer in his dresser for her, where she kept a stash of clothes. But it wasn't these obvious outward changes they were enjoying the most, it was the subtle, intimate layers that were forming, little by little they were shedding the previously strictly adhered to personalities of Agents David and DiNozzo, and discovering who they were, both as individuals and as a couple.

Tony loved that Ziva began to make noise as she walked around, she'd previously moved in complete silence, a way of upholding their prior agreement so as not to intrude on his life any more than necessary, but the fact he could now track her movements around their apartments meant she was comfortable. Ziva conceded that Tony would not join her for her morning run, but was thrilled to always find coffee brewing on her return, even if he'd retreated back to bed. Tony proved to be remarkably thoughtful and pre-emptive when it came to Ziva's needs, keeping his promise of braiding her hair every night they were together, even doing it before they separated for the night if they were not sharing a bed and noting her favourite foods, always keeping them in supply, even if his own snacks ran low, and in turn, Ziva revealed a surprisingly gentle, romantic soul, cooking dinner, simply because it had been a week since they'd agreed to give couplehood a try, and convincing Tony to join her in a barefoot stroll through the park when they had gone for ice cream afterward.

There were also certain, unspoken agreements; after hours Tony's work shirts were Ziva's property to wear as she saw fit, most often over sweatpants for watching movies on the sofa, occasionally tied in the front over a fitting tank top and yoga pants for an evening jog, although Tony's favourite was the shirt, and only the shirt, when she was fresh out of the shower, her hair still damp, the moisture from the curly locks turning the fine cotton blends see through - _especially _when it came forward over her shoulders, nothing diverted plans to get dressed to go out for dinner and a movie faster than that. Another, was that the person whose name was on the lease got first dibs at the shower after work, they much preferred brief, solo showers after a day on the field, a longer, joint shower if they wanted one, coming just before bed. The arrangements and intimacy making for two very comfortable people, time seeming to fly by.

At work, they kept up much the same façade deliberately aggravating each other, Tony taking digs at Ziva's English and driving, Ziva commenting frequently on Tony's dietary choices and figure. No one was any the wiser, they were good actors, treating it much like being under cover, and other than an occasional watchful gaze from Gibbs, what happened out of work hours stayed that way.

It wasn't until during a rare, quiet lunch break with Abby joining them in the bullpen that things got tricky. She had propped on the corner of McGee's desk, Caf!Pow in hand, lunch beside her, chatting while she ate.

"Hey Ziva," Abby put her drink down, turning her attention to the food.

"Yes Abby?" Ziva put down the novel she had been reading in the break, ignoring Tony's jibes about being a bookworm.

"So I'm going on a d..." Abby paused realising Tony's interest had peaked, Tim looked a little hurt, and Gibbs's eyes had narrowed, she amended her words quickly. "I'm going out with a friend tonight. Did you want to bring a da... a _friend _too?"

"I... oh..." Ziva seemed surprised at the offer. Tony's interest switched to Ziva, without meeting his eyes she could feel his gaze on her.

"If you can't find anyone, I mean that's not to say you can't of course, but if you can't think of anyone you'd like to ask I could call Joey and ask if he has a friend he could bring."

"Thank you Abby." Ziva spoke carefully. "I do not think that I am on the shop right now."

"On the market." Abby smirked. "It's not that big a deal, we're just meeting at the park, Joey's got a Guide Dog in training too. I'm taking Monty along to meet Samson."

"I am not on the market." Ziva corrected her words this time. "Even if it is just for friends meeting at the park right now."

"Oooh! Ziva's got a boyfriend" Tony sang. Ziva glared at him darkly.

"I did not say that Tony." Her tone was not so firm as it could have been, sounding wobbly instead, so to add to the effect, she blinked quickly two or three times, turning her face from view. Abby responded immediately, jumping to her feet.

"Quiet Tony!" Abby admonished, coming around the desk and giving Ziva a tight hug. "Do you need a girls night Zi? I can tell Joey and Samson we'll meet them another night, and you'll come home with me and we'll have chocolate and wine for dinner, and forget about whoever's made you feel like that."

"Thank you Abby," though the upset had been faked, the smile at her friend's generous offer was real. "That is very sweet, but I am fine. I do not think I need to forget him just yet."

"Something to learn," Abby nodded wisely.

"You could say that. Now," She paused, took a steadying breath and addressed her colleagues. "I am going for coffee, who wants one?" The three males nodded, Abby tested the weight of her Caf!Pow, and finding it satisfactory, declined.

"Be quick David." Gibbs warned. She nodded, turning toward the elevator.

"I'd better go too... she never gets my order right." Tony stood as Ziva left.

"But Tony, Ziva never forgets..." Tim began, puzzled.

"Go, DiNozzo." Gibbs interrupted, rolling his eyes. Tony crossed the floor quickly after her, slipping between the doors of the elevator as they began to close. Ziva ignored him for a second, waiting for the doors to shut fully and pressing the button for Ground. The second the doors were closed, as though drawn by magnets they turned to each other, Ziva's hands coming either side of Tony's face as they kissed each other hard for a second.

"You're not going to forget me?" Tony asked, his forehead against Ziva's, grateful there were no security cameras in the small box.

"Never." She assured, dark eyes locked with his. They kissed again, more tenderly, and moved apart in unison as the elevator slid to a stop at the ground floor.

"Just needed to check," Tony explained as they headed toward the nearest coffee shop. "Abby can be pretty convincing."

"Nothing that Abby could say would make me forget about you." Ziva lowered her voice, a few employees from another floor were also in the queue.

"Speaking of convincing, nice work with the broken hearted act." Tony added, subtly brushing his hand against hers as she leant on the counter.

"I have never had to lie about something so close to my heart. My emotions got the better of me." Ziva didn't seem as pleased with her unusually vulnerable behaviour in the office, though she had covered it well.

"You're human Ninja." Tony assured her once she'd given their order and they'd moved along to wait for their drinks. "We all do it sometimes."

"I did not like lying about you." Ziva's voice lowered further. Tony looked pleased, bumping his shoulder against her gently, the platonic gesture having to suffice for the physical contact they both wanted.

"I wasn't a fan either." Tony replied softly, shrugging. "But as long as we keep this to ourselves, that's what it's going to be like." They collected their order, Tony snagging a handful of sweetener packets, and headed out of the shop.

"In that case, I think something needs to change." Ziva mused, at a more normal volume, the traffic and other conversations around them covering their own. Tony nodded, holding the door for her. They were silent as they passed back through security and headed for the elevator.

"How does he even do that?" Tony murmured to Ziva, finding Gibbs in the elevator as the doors opened to let them in, she shrugged her shoulders briefly in response, stepping in past the man in question. The doors had barely shut before, predictably Gibbs reached out and hit the off button.

"Ya good Dinozzo?" He asked, turning to face the two, Tony's face split into a wide smile.

"Yes Boss, I..."

"Don't ask, don't tell." Gibbs cut him off, facing Ziva. "You happy David?"

"Very." Ziva replied sincerely.

"Good," Although his tone was firm, there was a hint of warmth in the blue eyes that studied Tony and Ziva, standing as close as was socially acceptable. "Don't screw it up."

"Yes Boss." Both agents nodded in unison. The ride back to their floor was silent, Gibbs's only action as the doors opened to turn and take his coffee, striding ahead of them back to his desk.

"Guess that's as close to a blessing as we'll get from him." Tony commented in an undertone.

"Hmm." Ziva responded non-committally, her face was set in a thoughtful, almost sad expression. Tony noticed this and caught her eye as he removed his drink from the cardboard carry tray Ziva still held, giving her a quick, reassuring smile, however her face remained troubled, and stayed that way for the rest of the work day.

* * *

Tony slipped out of work early, knowing he'd he'd get it from Gibbs the following day, but considered it worthwhile. The wheels in his head had been turning since Ziva had admitted she'd felt unhappy lying about their relationship and needed the extra hour on Ziva to put his plan into action.

By the time Ziva had clocked off (at the appropriate finish time) and arrived home, Tony was just pulling into one of the visitor's parking bays at her apartment at the same time. She still didn't look particularly happy, although she did perk up on noticing him waiting for her.

"Come on upstairs Ninja, I'll take care of dinner." Tony escorted Ziva to her apartment, hand around her waist.

"It is my turn to cook" She protested mildly, unlocking her door.

"You look like you could use a break. Hit the showers." Tony ushered her into the bathroom.

"Tony, I..." she tried to protest, pausing in the doorway. He leaned forward and kissed her mid-sentence.

"Tonight's on me Ziva, go shower!" He pushed her backward slightly, fully into the bathroom. Closing the door, he heard the water start up, and headed to her room. Ziva had already laid out pyjamas on her bed, he smiled, noting the large t-shirt had been at his apartment, and on his own back a few days earlier.

He headed for the wardrobe, shuffling past the work clothes, and to her selection of dresses. The stunning satin she had worn undercover with Gibbs had been returned to the dress hire shop, but she still had a good selection from casual, to a typical Little Black Dress, to a stunning red formal number - he'd _have_ to get her into that one sometime - and after a bit of debating he selected a simple lilac sun dress with lace detailing that he had not seen on her and chose some white sandals to go with it. Laying the dress on top of her pyjamas, and the shoes at the foot of the bed, he glanced in her underwear drawer, decided that was too complex a choice for him to make, and instead, still hearing the shower going, dashed downstairs to his car to continue preparations.

Stepping out of the shower some minutes later, Ziva wrapped a towel around her body and paused for a second, something smelled like garlic and tomato, pizza she guessed, there was some faint music playing as well, probably the main menu on a DVD looping until she was back in the room. Rubbing herself dry, she headed for the bedroom and her pyjamas, figuring pizza and a movie warranted nothing more dressy.

"Tony...?" She spoke to herself, seeing her dress laid out on the bed. She glanced at her wardrobe, seeing it still in order, thankful Tony could be fastidious about taking care of clothing, smiled when she noted he had picked shoes, and laughed softly when the still open underwear drawer suggested that selection had been over his head. Quickly she set about making the choice for herself, and getting dressed, deciding to take the hint and spend a few minutes styling her hair and putting on some makeup.

By the time she emerged Tony had managed to sprawl himself casually on the sofa with a glass of wine. Hearing her footsteps in the hall, he glanced up at her, seeing her surprise at the softly candlelit room. Several dashes back and forth to his car had provided a romantic setting, hundreds it seemed, of tiny tea light candles flickering on every available surface, flowers on the table, a promising scent wafting from the oven, a soft jazzy CD playing quietly in the background, and Tony, a clean suit over a greyish-green shirt, open at the collar.

"What is going on here Tony?" Ziva still paused in the doorway, taking in her apartment, he rose to meet her, with a second glass of wine.

"Later." Tony handed her the glass and escorted her to the table gallantly. "Right now, we eat." He bent over the oven, producing two plates of what she quickly recognised as a pasta dish from an Italian restaurant they favoured for dinner dates. The garlic smell that had hinted at pizza proved to be her favourite ciabatta garlic bread from the same place, Ziva rising to help Tony locate a basket to serve it in.

"You may have respected my wardrobe, but I fear you have less for my pantry." She informed him when he protested that she should be sitting back and relaxing. He laughed, chivvying her gently back to her seat, and taking his opposite her.

"What is all this about Tony?" Ziva asked after their plates had been cleared. Whatever strange mood she had been in earlier had been replaced by a soft blush and flattered smile, clearly enjoying the romantic efforts Tony had gone to.

"Well," Tony paused to swallow the final mouthful he had been chewing. "I've been thinking about what you said earlier, not liking lying about us."

"Go on," Ziva nodded.

"I don't like it either. When someone asks you if they can set you up, I want you to be able to say 'No thanks I have a wonderfully romantic, handsome, intelligent and _very_ satisfying man in my life.'" Ziva chuckled softly at the way Tony sat up straighter, puffing his chest as he praised himself.

"I would like to say that too... perhaps not to that extent though." She teased gently, causing a fake pout to form on Tony's face.

"Anyway, after thinking about that, I would like to propose..." He paused significantly, long enough to see the doubt cloud Ziva's eyes. They both knew they were nowhere near that stage in their relationship, not having shared "I love you" yet. "Propose that it's time to let some others in on our 'big secret'" he finished, amused at the relief written on her face.

"I am not sure..." Ziva leaned back in her chair, "I am ready to share you, but who did you have in mind?"

"Maybe just the team at first..." Tony chewed thoughtfully on a piece of garlic bread "Abby, McGee, Gibbs." At once the troubled expression Ziva had had earlier came over her face again. "Penny for 'em Zi?"

"I am not sure that Gibbs would want to know." She replied doubtfully, heavily.

"I don't think it's like that." Tony protested.

"His blessing is important to me Tony. I do not need his permission, but I cannot do this without his blessing." Ziva explained. Tony suddenly realised her set face had come with his offhanded comment about Gibbs's instruction not to screw things up being the only blessing they'd have.

"I was being a smartass Ziva, my mouth ran away from me. Don't let that get to you." He grasped her hand across the table, squeezing it lightly.

"For once it was not your mouth Tony. He said he would not ask, and we were not to tell. He does not want to know." Her expression sank at her final words, and Tony sighed at the sight of her sad face.

"He doesn't want to know the details, Zi... at work especially... we're his team before anything else. He's protecting that... you're going to talk to him aren't you?" Tony asked instinctively as the crease between Ziva's eyebrows deepened.

"Yes." Ziva pushed back her chair and rose. "This has been beautiful, thank you. I appreciate the gesture more than it seems. But to say yes to your offer I need to take care of this first." Her dark eyes looked to him, hopeful he understood.

"Whatever it takes cara mia. I'll wait." Tony kissed her forehead as he walked with her to the door. "It's not quite the response I imagined, but whatever it is, you need this."

"Thank you." The briefest smile flitted across her face. She paused at the coat rack, reaching for her overcoat. Tony stilled her hands, shrugging off his suit jacket, and sliding it over her shoulders.

"Just to remind you where you belong, no matter what." Ziva smiled again, looking a bit teary.

"You are something else entirely Tony DiNozzo." She reached to kiss him tenderly. "I will be back."

"See ya, Ninja." Tony kissed her again, shutting the door as she slipped out into the hall. He walked to the window where he could see her car pulling away from the building a few moments later. Resting his forehead against the glass and watching the car's tail lights fade into the distance he sighed, "She's worth this DiNozzo."

* * *

Ziva pulled up outside Gibbs' house, and after a deep breath, got out. "Damn it." She hissed as the skies opened above her, a typical summer storm, forecast on the weather report she'd turned down on the drive over, finding it aggravating, and she broke into a run to cover the last few yards quickly.

Gibbs was working quietly, absorbed in the block of wood he was sanding gently. The rain covered the noise of Ziva letting herself in and coming down the basement stairs, but he still knew to turn after a moment, to see her sitting on the steps, somewhat wet and bedraggled.

"Ziva." He greeted briefly, throwing her a towel from the bench.

"Gibbs," She responded, wiping her face with the towel. She shrugged off Tony's jacket and hung it over the banister, rubbing her hair.

"Bit overdressed for a night in the basement." He observed, turning back to his project. Though damp, her dress stood in stark contrast to Gibbs' familiar red hoodie and worn jeans.

"Indeed." Ziva agreed quietly, making no move to join him, still sitting quietly about halfway down the stairs.

"Figure you've got a pretty good reason to have left whatever it is you're all dressed up for." He resumed sanding, Ziva agreed again, but did not elaborate further. "You gonna tell me why you've left your date with Tony? Pretty sure as far as company goes I'm not what you're looking for."

"Gibbs..." Ziva sighed, and stood, finding two clean jars and pouring them each a measure of bourbon. Hers was smaller having already had wine with dinner and knowing she'd need to drive home later, and she held the larger serve out to Gibbs. He took a sip from it, waiting for Ziva to speak.

"Here," He said when she didn't begin talking. He took the drink from her hand and replaced it with a sanding block. The work roughened hand curled over the tanned one, showing her how to move the block smoothly along the wood. She watched their hands working in unison quietly for a few moments. "Used to do this with Kelly, sometimes." He threw in casually. Ziva drew a deep, shuddering breath against him.

"Tony and I are together, Gibbs." She said at last, her eyes on his hand covering her own.

"I know." He said shortly.

"We have been for almost a month now." Ziva continued, "At work, our jobs come first."

"I know." Gibbs replied again.

"I am very..." Ziva hesitated, "I feel very strongly for him, and it seems Tony feels the same."

"Know that too. You got something new to tell me?" Gibbs paused sanding to take a sip. It wasn't until his hand covered Ziva's smaller one again that she continued.

"I do not need your permission to date Tony." Ziva went on, she continued sanding as she spoke, the repetitive action somehow soothing.

"Never said you did." Gibbs shrugged. "Your choice to make, not mine."

"I do not want your permission either." Ziva sounded more agitated now.

"Then what's this all about?" Being so close to Ziva, Gibbs could feel her shoulders rise as she inhaled deeply to prepare for her next sentence.

"I want you to _care _Gibbs." She clenched her fist beneath his hand.

"Never said I didn't." Though his response was still brief his voice was gentler, sensing the floodgates were about to open.

"You are like a father to me, I did not expect this 'ask nothing, tell nothing' rule you have about it. It is too much to ask that you are happy for us?" Gibbs stepped back as Ziva began to pace.

"Ziver..." He used the softer version of her name, "I never said that I wasn't happy for you. But at work, whatever your relationship, you are Agents David and DiNozzo, all I need to know is that you can do your job."

"Of course Gibbs. Work comes first." Ziva stopped pacing, and turned to face where he had taken a seat on one of the lower steps.

"Today was work. You took a break from work to collect yourself about a personal matter. That can't happen." He warned, turning the jar of bourbon around slowly in his hand. "Abby put you on the spot sure, but you need to get your story straight if it's not going to interfere."

"I know Gibbs. It was unprofessional and it will not happen again." Ziva dropped her head, chastised. "That is why I came. Tony suggested tonight that we tell the team about us. But I... I could not agree to that thinking you do not approve."

"C'mere." Gibbs patted the step beside him, shifting over so Ziva could fit too after she collected her own drink. "You don't need my permission or approval in this Ziver. But it's an honour to be asked."

"I want it Gibbs, there is a difference. I cannot tell my fa... Eli about Tony. I cannot expect his joy or blessing. Mossad Agents - women particularly - are not expected to meet someone and fall in... form serious romantic relationships." Ziva looked at her feet, studying her toes visible between the white straps of her shoes.

"Rough." Gibbs put in, sipping from his jar again.

"But this, this relationship with Tony, it is big for me Gibbs, this could be the 'it' I have heard spoken about so often. It would mean a lot to me to know that you are happy about it."

"Still not happy you broke Rule 12 in the first place, _before _I told Tony to let it go that is." He added, knowing that the conversation in the gym a month earlier would have been relayed to Ziva.

"I call Rule 18." Ziva countered. Gibbs bobbed his head, conceding.

"Ya got me there David." He chuckled softly, resting his hand on her shoulder. "But, might not be such a bad thing you went ahead and broke the rule anyway. I've never seen two Agents together working out, but you and Tony are different - you might have what it takes to break the rule for good."

"Do you really think so Gibbs?" Ziva queried.

"Sure do. As far as a blessing goes, I want for you what any father wants for his daughter, to be happy with a man who loves and respects her as much as she does him - even if it means breaking one of my rules. And if that happiness for you is with Tony, then you have it."

"Thank you Gibbs." Ziva's voice was clearly touched, but then she gave a small laugh, "Although I am not too sure about that mutual respect you mentioned!"

"You can handle DiNozzo when he gets smart." This time they both chuckled. "Tell the team, and remember there's going to be plenty of eyes on you for a while to prove yourselves. I'll take care of Leon for now, but first sign of this interfering and one of you will transfer."

"Of course, thank you." Gibbs leaned over and wrapped his arm around Ziva, hugging her to his side.

"You chose well kiddo, now get back to your date." He stood with her, holding out the jacket for her to slide on, and walked her to the car, Ziva pausing before stepping off the kerb.

"Thank you, I cannot explain how much this means to me." Her face had lit up with a genuine, heartfelt smile.

"You're welcome," He took the back of her head and kissed her forehead briefly. "Get out of here." Gibbs turned back to his house, and by the time the sound of Ziva's car had faded into the distance, he was back in this basement absorbed in his work.

* * *

"Don't think I need to ask how it went." Tony glanced up as he heard the door open and saw Ziva's smiling face. He crossed the room, Ziva meeting him halfway, almost throwing herself at his chest. He held her, stroking her hair.

"It went well." Ziva looked around, "I think we should re-light the candles and not let your hard work go to waste." They busied themselves for a few moments, lighting the candles Tony had blown out and turning the music on again, then sat, facing each other on the sofa, picking up the romantic atmosphere where it had left off.

"Ziva..." Tony started but was silenced by a gentle finger pressed to his lips.

"Let me." She shook her head, waiting for him to nod and let her continue. "Tony, this last month has been amazing. You are wonderfully romantic, handsome and intelligent, not to mention loyal, funny and yes, very satisfying. I cannot wait to tell our friends that we are a couple." Tony beamed from ear to ear.

"That was more the answer I was looking for." Tony admitted with a grin. "I can't wait to tell them either"

"I should not have left before. It was not fair." Ziva said, grasping Tony's hand. "You went to a lot of trouble to make a beautiful night."

"It was worth waiting to get an answer like that. You're worth waiting for." Tony squeezed her hand back. "Besides, it's good to know he's okay with it, feels kinda like I've let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. How was Gibbs about it anyway?"

"Gibbs, well he was Gibbs. Short, to the point, and honest. He is happy for us though Tony." She leaned forward to kiss him. "He said he thinks we could be the reason to break Rule 12 for good."

"He does?" Ziva nodded the affirmative in response to Tony's surprised question. "Wow, that's big coming from the Bossman."

"It is, I think we should do our best to prove him right." Ziva smiled.

"Yeah... wow... breaking a rule for us. Who woulda thunk it? Oh, hey! Guess that means I can give you my present now." Tony leaned forward, feeling into the pockets of the jacket Ziva was still wearing.

"You did not need to get me anything," Ziva protested, leaning back to let Tony find whatever he was looking for.

"If we're going to tell everyone we're together you need something fantastic to show them to go with it." A few more seconds had Tony pulling a box - too large for a ring, but unmistakably jewellery - from the inside breast pocket.

"Tony... that is... wow." Ziva held her arm out allowing Tony to clasp the simple silver link bracelet around her wrist. "The number 8?" She queried, admiring the centrepiece, holding her hand like reading a watch.

"No," Tony took her hand and held her wrist out straight pointing in front of her so she was looking at it longways. "The symbol for infinity. Whatever happens, you and I always end up back together."

"I have nothing for you." Ziva apologised, still studying the pretty bracelet. The brushed silver infinity symbol was not much bigger than the pad of her thumb as she gently rubbed it over the metal, and the fine links of the bracelet sat delicately on her wrist.

"You gave me you, your trust, you let me in. I don't need anything else than that... but if you really feel the need, I wouldn't say no to a 1968 Corvette Stingray!"

"Ha, I would not hold your breath on that one Tony." Ziva chuckled. "Thank you, this is just amazing. No one has ever gone to this much trouble for me before." She shifted around to lean back against his chest, his arms wrapping around her.

"You're worth it Ziva. I'll tell you a thousand times if I have to. You're worth the time, worth the wait, worth everything. If it means at the end of the day like this, I get to call you mine, then it's worth it." He kissed the top of her head.

"You are worth it too, Tony." She replied softly, leaning further back into his embrace. The pair were quiet for a few minutes, Tony's hands idly playing with the new bracelet.

"How will we tell the others?" Ziva asked finally, breaking the silence.

"Might play with it for a bit... get them wondering." Tony's voice held a mischievous laugh.

"Not too long," Ziva warned, "We have waited long enough to tell them."

"I can think of something else I've waited for long enough," Tony suggested, sliding his hand under the strap on Ziva's dress and easing it down her shoulder.

"Perhaps we should stop wasting time then." Ziva agreed. She turned and Tony shifted, moving together so he was full length on the sofa, Ziva's body over him. Tony pulled her close and kissed her deeply.

"Although," He added, kissing her once more. "I can't see any need to rush things either."

"Perfect," Ziva sighed. Still, despite not rushing things, it wasn't long before the only thing she was wearing was the lovely new bracelet.


	13. Playing Games

**Author's Note: **Thanks again for the reviews and alerts, I'm so thrilled to see there are still readers after the ridiculously long wait! Still don't own them, wish I did.

**Chapter Thirteen - Playing Games**

The following day, Ziva was the first to work, well the bullpen anyway, she had seen Gibbs' car in the parking area, but there was no sign of him upstairs. She turned her head, hearing the elevator and saw McGee heading over.

"Morning Ziva." He greeted as he passed by her desk, heading to his own to take his bag off.

"Good morning," Tim glanced over at her, setting up her desk for the day, she appeared relaxed, her expression soft and her body language at ease.

"Ziva, I know we aren't always that close, but yesterday you looked a bit upset... I just wanted to say if you ever wanted to talk about it, I'm happy to listen." Tim offered quietly, coming closer to her desk to keep the conversation private.

"Thank you," Ziva responded with a smile. "I am fine, what was worrying me has been resolved. It was very thoughtful of you to ask though."

"Oh..." Tim seemed lost for words, he'd not really thought any potential responses through, except maybe getting his head bitten off. "That's great. You look great, I mean happy... there's kind of a glow about you... not that I was looking in that way or anything. I mean..." He rambled, not quite sure whether he was coming across complimentary or creepy.

"Thank you Tim." Ziva laughed, giving him an out, embarrassed, he beat a retreat back to his desk.

"Wow, put your tongue back in your mouth McGee!" Tony had stepped off the elevator in time to hear Tim tripping over himself. "Although," He paused thoughtfully, taking in Ziva's soft curls, and loosely fitting yellow blouse. "You're looking particularly stunning today." His voice lowered, speaking only to Ziva, although Tim could still hear.

"Thank you Tony." Ziva said pointedly again, breaking the smouldering eye contact between them.

"Get to work DiNozzo." Gibbs appeared out of nowhere. The four settled down at their desks and fell quiet.

An hour later, Gibbs cast an eye over his team. Although Ziva radiated contentedness, and Tony looked thoroughly pleased, there was an air of restlessness about them, even Tim seemed a bit bored with the prospect of another day at his desk, the previous quiet day and the weather which had cleared overnight to a beautiful day had them all a bit stir crazy. Fortunately - for Gibbs, though unfortunate for whoever they'd soon be investigating - his phone rang before anything had the chance to reach boiling point.

"Grab your gear." Gibbs headed toward the elevator. "Dead Marine, Shenandoah, Ducky's on the way." He tossed the keys for the van over his shoulder, causing a scuffle to break out. Ziva's elbow collected the side of Tim's head as her hand shot up to catch the keys. He stepped back, dazed, rubbing his temple.

"Sorry McGee!" The keys had bounced off her fingertips and hit the floor, she dived for them, Tony right behind her.

"Remind me not to make you hit me on purpose..." Tim groaned, as Tony, landing on Ziva's back, looped his arm under her body and flipped them both, his free arm snatching the keys from Ziva's reach as he did. Tim did a double take as she growled at, but did not immediately flatten Tony, who heaved her off his belly, onto the floor and sprinted for the elevator.

"Move it!" Gibbs ordered, knowing the short lived wrestling match was needed to get the pent up energy out of the way. Tim followed, Ziva behind him, pausing for a second to slip her bracelet into her desk drawer. She cast an apologetic glance at Tony as they got in the elevator.

"It's cool." Tony whispered, knowing Ziva couldn't risk the jewellery slipping or getting in the way on the field. She smiled at him gratefully, McGee caught the look and glanced back at Tony to work out what was going on.

"Whatcha looking at McGoggles?" Tony pasted on his best innocent expression, apparently not giving up his idea of leaving McGee wondering for a while. Ziva too had switched to focused, nonchalant, straightening her hair from the scuffle.

McGee shook his head, confused. "Must've hit my head harder than I thought..."

* * *

Soon enough, the team were trudging down a hill, following a park ranger who had met them at the gate. They could just make out Ducky's white coat through the trees as the ranger explained his side of the story.

"Him and his girlfriend hired one of the cabins." He gestured with his thumb, a low, wooden building was visible through the trees. "Came in two days ago. S'posed to check out this afternoon but the girl signed out yesterday, said they'd had a fight. Found him this morning, just lying there. Wasn't till I turned him over that I saw he wasn't gonna wake up." He shrugged, dodging a low hanging branch.

"Has anyone been into the cabin?" Gibbs asked. The slightly scruffy man shrugged again.

"It's one of them rustic ones, ain't exactly five-star living." Gibbs glared at the indirect answer. "There's no turn-down service if that's what you mean. No one shoulda been there except them."

"David, shoot and sketch. DiNozzo, check the cabin. McGee, ID." The ground levelled out a bit near where the ME bent over the body. Several state police officers and a few other rangers were nearby too. Ziva quickly set to work with the camera, Tony heading in the direction of the cabin.

"May I?" Tim asked politely, waiting for Ducky to allow him to touch the body and use the portable fingerprint scanner. He bent, screwing up his nose as he got closer. "Boss, Petty Officer Griffin Theodore Edwards, he's on leave, expected back Saturday for active duty." McGee read off his screen.

"Ok, go to the office, find out about the girlfriend. Whatcha got Duck?"

"Jethro," Ducky looked up, he had been gently inspecting the body. "It appears as though the young man here felt badly about the altercation with his girlfriend. The smell alone tells us he had more than his fair share to drink, the regurgitation suggests he may have choked." Ducky gestured downward, an unpleasant looking puddle of vomit rested beside the corpse's head.

"Must have been a big night!" Palmer chimed in helpfully, arriving with the body bag. He paled under Gibbs' steely gaze.

"Palmer, bag and tag that vomit and get it to Abs. Time of death?" Gibbs bent closer, then hastened to stand up straight, as Ducky suggested the strong smell of stale alcohol and vomit clung to the body.

"Between four to six hours ago. He appears to have come from the cabin, judging by the trail of emesis." Gibbs glanced over, Ziva had pulled the neckline of her shirt over her nose, visibly disgusted, gingerly laying a numbered card next to another pile and taking a photo.

"Has he been moved at all?" Gibbs enquired.

"Save for our helpful ranger friend rolling him over, no." The sarcasm was evident in Ducky's voice, "The pooling tells me he fell here. No apparent external injuries. If Mr Palmer would assist me here, we'll get him back to the morgue and see what else he has to tell us."

"Thanks Duck." Gibbs moved onto Ziva, "Anything?"

"Looks like he tripped," Ziva pointed to an exposed tree root, some of the outer bark scrubbed clean. "I cannot find any evidence he had company." She gestured to a damper patch of earth from the previous night's rain. The only prints leading away from the cabin, in a wobbly, staggering line, matched the shoes on the body.

"Boss." Tony appeared, shaking a clear orange pill bottle. " Pills in the girlfriend's name - the script was filled the day before they checked in, but it's almost empty."

"Get that to Abby. Anything else?" Gibbs asked.

"Liquor, well bottles anyway. Three of em, cheap whiskey and all empty. Looks like the liquor itself has been keeping Zi busy, there's more puke than Lardass Hogan managed."

"Zi?" McGee appeared behind them, clutching a handful of papers, querying the before Gibbs could tell Tony off about the movie reference.

"Yep, Zi. It's a shortened version of Ziva, or have you never heard of a nickname Timothy?"

"Since when do you call her Zi?" McGee started, quelled by a glare from Gibbs. "Right, girlfriend is Amalia Elizabeth Hopkins, parents' address is in Aspen Hill." He handed over one of the pieces of paper, a photocopied license.

"That is not far from my place." Ziva added, looking at the address.

"David, you're with me," Gibbs ordered. "McGee and DiNozzo, you finish up here."

"Yes Boss." McGee turned and headed back toward the administration office in search of the CCTV footage.

"On it. Catchya." Tony winked at Ziva. Tim paused midway down the hill to glance back as Ziva lifted her hand in farewell, following Gibbs back to the car.

"What is going on here?" Tim queried, as Tony joined him in the cabin again.

"Dunno what you mean - other than you almost stepping in a big ol' pavement pizza." Tim looked at his feet and jumped back hurriedly with a disgusted groan.

"Come on McGurp." Tony laughed, "I need enough time for my appetite to come back when we hit civilization again."

* * *

Some hours later, Ziva put her phone down and looked toward the elevator as her colleagues returned. Tim looked uncomfortable, rubbing at a red spot on his face and aggravated as Tony teased him mercilessly.

"What happened to McGee?" She enquired.

"Our Boy Scout's infallible sense of direction..." He paused, trying to think of the antonym. "Turned out to be fallible... is that even a word? Anyway, he got disoriented..."

"You didn't help Tony!" McGee put in, sitting at his desk, scratching his shoulder and neck.

"I was only throwing your cap back to you." Tony smiled innocently, "He tripped and fell into a pile of poison ivy. Where's Gibbs?"

"Coffee," Ziva responded, with a sympathetic glance across the bullpen. "I have had poison ivy before Tim, it is most unpleasant."

"You should've seen him though Ziva... sitting on the ground looking all forlorn and lost in the woods. Kinda like a baby deer." Tony chuckled, unloading several evidence bags from his backpack. Tim muttered under his breath, still scratching furiously at the welts along his arms, unfortunately he'd been wearing a short sleeved shirt.

"Hey, be nice to Bambi." Ziva chided. Tony's eyes lit up.

"You didn't... quoting a TV show with a movie reference?" He crossed the space between their desk in two large steps. "That was brilliant! I must be rubbing off on you." He seized Ziva's face in both hands, smacking a kiss to her forehead, leaving her looking as surprised as McGee felt.

"Hope you won't reward me for good work like that DiNozzo." Gibbs commented dryly, appearing from nowhere. Tony jumped, making for the evidence bags to take them down to Abby. "Hold up. We went to the girlfriend's house and brought her in, she says she's been laid up in bed with the flu for about a week, she's genuinely unwell, but there's no one to confirm she's been home the last two days."

"What about the parents Boss?" Tony queried.

"On a cruise in Florida. Her sister is away too." Ziva put in. "I have spoken to her physician, who can confirm Amalia had an appointment the day before they checked in at the cabin and was sick, she provided a prescription for antibiotics, but she was not on any other medication."

"McGee - background check." Gibbs instructed. A few keystrokes, punctuated by scratching, and McGee had her info on the big screen. He came around the desk, joining the others as they moved to see the screen properly.

"Amalia Elizabeth Hopkins, 21, she's a student in Nursing at VCU, she has a twin sister, Catherine and lives at home with her parents. No record." Tim finished his sentence with another vigorous rub on his face, partly to relieve his itching, partly to confirm that he was in fact seeing Ziva's hand resting on Tony's shoulder blade.

"Okay - get the evidence down to Abby. Tell her to prioritise the pill bottle. Get something for that rash while you're there. You get anything else from the office?" By the time McGee had another chance to glance at Tony and Ziva they were standing separately again.

"CCTV footage of them checking in." He replied, still scratching away, handing a DVD over to Gibbs, and heading out of the bullpen.

"Tony, put it up. Help Abby and then run Amalia's cell phone and credit records for the last week." He added to Tim's retreating back. Tony fumbled around with the disc for a bit, eventually getting the footage to play on the large screen.

"That is definitely Amalia." Ziva commented as they watched the video quietly. Tony paused the playback, studying the tall brunette girl as she stood in the reception area.

"It is, you two go back and check her bathroom. Griffin's parents will be here soon, I'm speaking to them." Gibbs tossed a set of keys, for the car this time, directly at Ziva. "And Tony, don't use the drive time to work out more ways to torture McGee, or anyone else. Keep your mind on the job - clear?"

"You got it Boss." Tony laughed, following Ziva to the elevator.

* * *

"Oh Timmy, what happened?" Abby gasped as Tim came through the doors of the lab.

"Poison ivy," He explained, Abby clucked sympathetically. "Gibbs wants you to work on the pill bottle first. Listen, have you noticed anything odd with Tony and Ziva?"

"There's calamine lotion in the desk if you want. And no, they haven't visited me yet today." Abby pouted slightly, putting on gloves and shaking out the pills. She studied the bottle closely. "I'll see what I can do with the prints. What about Tony and Ziva?"

"They're just different. There was a wrestling match over the keys to the van this morning, and Ziva didn't kill Tony, even though he was kind of... handsy in getting them." Tim found the lotion and began dabbing it on with a cotton ball.

"What do you mean 'handsy'?" Abby asked, distracted as she worked on lifting the prints from the bottle.

"He tackled her when she dove for the keys, and flipped her out of the way." Tim explained, scratching at his arm one more time before applying calamine to that area too.

"I wouldn't protest if a trained Federal Agent decided to wrestle with me." Abby mused with a grin, too focused on getting AFIS started to run the prints to notice Tim's embarrassed blush.

"He's been just kind of... friendly, complimenting her outfit, calling her Zi on the field, telling her she's brilliant. They had some weird secret conversation in the elevator this morning too."

"Tony's always friendly." Abby shrugged, hitting a few more keys on her computer, this time changing the background song that had been pulsing.

"They were standing way closer than usual in the bullpen before too, Ziva had her hand on his shoulder... my eyes must be playing tricks on me." He shook his head, still confused.

"They have the biggest case of URST I've ever seen. Here." Abby took a new cotton ball and began dabbing calamine lotion on the back of Tim's neck for him.

"Thanks Abs," Tim ducked his head to let Abby reach better. "I'm not sure it's unresolved. He kissed her..."

"He KISSED her?" Abby shrieked, still standing behind Tim, who winced. "Sorry." She gave his ear an apologetic pat.

"Yeah, she gave this quote from Scrubs I think, it was pretty good even by Tony's standards. He walked right across the bullpen and kissed her on the forehead."

"And Ziva didn't annihilate him on the spot?" Abby asked, as Tim moved away to begin checking phone records as he'd been instructed earlier.

"Nope. Gibbs showed up..." Tim said, typing away.

"Just in time to ask you what you have." Abby and Tim both jumped as Gibbs finished the sentence behind them.

"Gibbs! Still waiting on prints and Major Mass Spec to tell me what was in the pill bottle, but I checked the vomit, mostly alcohol and Zolpidem..." Abby switched straight back to forensics, and tapped a few keys, bringing up a long chemical formula.

"Ambien." Gibbs finished.

"Yup," Abby nodded, "His blood alcohol was through the roof, I mean he was smashed Gibbs, positive for Ambien there too, overdose levels. What's interesting is there's pill residue in the liquor bottles, I'm running them now to find out what they are, and there's only two sets of prints, I'm waiting for a match on those. Ducky gave me skin fragments from underneath Griffin's nails - a DNA match for Amalia. I smell a rat. Why do they say that anyway? Rats are actually very clean animals..."

"Good work Abs." Gibbs cut her off gently, putting a Caf-Pow! in her hand. "Tony and Ziva are going over her bathroom, they'll bring you anything else they find. McGee phone records?"

"Nothing Gibbs, her phone has had her at home or nearby the last two weeks, no where near the park. Paper trail not much either, she went to the doctors and the pharmacy like she said. So how come her license was used to check in?"

"Guess you'll just have to keep working on it." Gibbs left as suddenly as he'd appeared.

"Work on Tony too... I'll try and find out what's going on from Ziva." Abby added in an undertone.

* * *

"So Tony, what did Gibbs mean about torturing McGee?" Ziva wove between four cars in quick succession and braked hard at the lights, causing Tony to yelp and brace himself against the dashboard. They were on their way back to Amalia's house to see what other evidence they could find.

"McGee suspects something, and Gibbs knows I'm having fun with it." Tony admitted with a grin.

"Tony..." Ziva's voice was not quite reproachful enough to hide the smile.

"Zee-vah." Tony mocked in return, thrust back in the seat as the lights changed and Ziva's foot came down hard on the gas. "Besides, that quote was genius. I would've kissed you for it no matter what."

"What can I say? I am a fast learner." Ziva smiled, swerving around a bus this time.

"Except when it comes to driving." Tony teased, clutching at the door handle for balance. "Hey, you're wearing it again!" He motioned to her left wrist with a smile, noticing the infinity bracelet was back in its rightful place.

"Of course I am Tony." Ziva said simply. "I think I might wear it when we take whatever we find in the bathroom back to Abby as well." A devious smile lit her features.

"You were right," Tony chuckled seeing where she was going with the idea, "You are a fast learner. DiNozzo." His phone rang. "Yes Boss will do, see you soon."

"What did Gibbs want?" Ziva asked as Tony pocketed the phone.

"We've got to stop at the drugstore where Amalia got her medicine, she says she left her license there three days ago."

"But it was used the day after to check in at the cabins." Ziva commented, puzzled.

"Precisely. And so the plot thickens...ahh!" Tony mused, yelping and grabbing onto the dashboard again as Ziva swerved once more.

* * *

Abby's divide and conquer plan to find out what was going on between Tony and Ziva was thwarted when they both arrived in her lab a while later. Abby's back was to the door, focused on the computer, alternating between begging and threatening it to work.

"ABBY!" Tony hollered to be heard over the music, she jumped and spun around, using a remote to drop the volume a few notches.

"Sorry, AFIS is all jammed up, I can't get it to run the prints properly. What's that?" She left the computer with a final glare.

"There is another pill bottle from Amalia's beside table. It is in her sister's name, however she appears to have been taking the medication herself." Ziva handed the evidence over.

"Amoxicillin," Abby identified the common antibiotic tablets on sight, "The label says Ambien... hey what's with Tony?" Tony had gone to the sink where Abby had antibacterial handwash and had begun scrubbing his hands vigorously.

"Tony is just afraid of a few germs." Ziva said with a smile. "Amalia has been sick for awhile, her room was not the most hygienic place to be."

"There were used Kleenex everywhere, it was like a snowstorm in there!" Tony grumbled. He finished scrubbing and joined Ziva near to the central workstation again.

"I am sure you will be fine Tony." Ziva said, with a would-be patronising pat to Tony's cheek, but Abby's sharp eyes did not miss the affection in the gesture. Her eyes narrowed at the fine silver links that hung from the same wrist.

"Wow Ziva, that's pretty!" She exclaimed, reaching her hand out. Ziva extended her wrist to allow Abby to admire it.

"Thank you, it was a gift." She let Abby continue holding her hand, and turning it slowly to inspect the jewellery properly.

"Well, whoever gave it to you is pretty serious, that's the symbol for infinity... Hey didn't that couple you and Tony were undercover a few years ago have the same thing tattooed on their ring fingers?" She looked up, Tony had vanished.

"I believe they did Abby." Ziva said with a reminiscent smile. Abby let go of her hand, studying Ziva's face.

"So does that mean you and Mr Mysterious who has you off the market are on good terms again?" She removed a Caf-Pow! from one of the fridges and took a long sip.

"You could say that," Ziva answered with a coy smile. Her phone beeped. "Excuse me Abby."

"I want all the details later!" Abby called. She turned back to her work, increasing the volume of her music again. "Tim was right," She murmured to herself, pulling on a pair of gloves. "There is _definitely_ something going on with those two."

* * *

The day wore on, dinner was eaten at their desks, putting together the strange pieces of information.

"Gibbs!" Abby came into the bullpen.

"Whatcha got Abs?" He pointed to a take out container with his chopsticks. Abby picked it up gratefully.

"My favourite, thanks Gibbs. Still no luck with the fingerprints." She scowled, "But I can tell you the pills were switched. Whoever brought the Ambien to the cabin put them into Amalia's prescription bottle, and put the Amoxycillin into the Ambien bottle in the sister's name."

"Good work." Gibbs nodded. "McGee - got that surveillance from the drugstore working yet?" Tony and Ziva had been told that Amalia had left her wallet behind, but that the pharmacist had called the home, spoken to her, and it had been collected later in the day.

"Almost Boss." He didn't glance up from his computer screen. "There!" He announced triumphantly, rotating his screen around to face the centre of the small space so they could all see, Ziva stood and pulled her own chair closer, sitting again once she had found a better spot, Tony instead using his feet to drag the chair and himself forward.

"Move your hair Zi." Tony griped, batting at the unruly curls. He had ended up slightly behind and to the left of Ziva, closer to Gibbs' desk, but close enough to her that her hair was obscuring her vision.

"Stop it Tony." Ziva stilled his hand, tucking the curls behind her ear.

_"Zi?"_ Abby mouthed to Tim who shrugged.

"Move DiNozzo, McGee show us." Gibbs commanded. Tim started the footage up. The footage was poor quality, but they could see a brunette woman, wearing jeans and a nondescript pink hoodie, looking much like Amalia collecting and paying for medication, leaving her purse on the counter.

"So she did leave it behind, but fast-forward two hours..." McGee hit a few more keys and the replay jumped forward. The same brunette woman, the only difference being her hair was now scooped back into a ponytail approached the counter. After talking for a moment, the pharmacist took the black purse that had been left earlier, opened it, presumably checking the identity of the woman versus the ID inside, and handed it over.

"Ziva you're with me. McGee, get that on something. I want to play that for Amalia." Gibbs rose, Ziva following him quickly.

* * *

A few minutes later, Tony and Tim were in Observation, Tony obsessively rubbing his hands with water-free sanitiser he'd 'borrowed' from a desk in HR.

"What's up Tony?" McGee asked as he was setting up a laptop for Gibbs with the video footage.

"Gibbs had me bring her a sandwich." He grumbled, gesturing through the two-way glass. The young woman, between her crying and flu had a constant running nose, red eyes and flushed face. The pre-packaged sandwich from the break room and a cup of vending machine tea sat untouched before her.

"She definitely doesn't look up to committing a murder." Tim agreed. Ducky had determined the cause of death to be suffocation, a result of the high levels of medication and alcohol suppressing his breathing,, finally choking on the vomit when he tripped. Abby had matched DNA to Amalia, but AFIS was still not working, and she had resorted to manual identification. "So what's going on with you and Ziva?"

"I don't know what you mean." Tony paused, considering whether to apply the sanitiser to his face as well, deciding against it and rubbing it up his wrists.

"Come on Tony... she didn't kill you when you wrestled her this morning, or when you kissed her on the head before."

"Maybe she was too overcome by my sheer manliness to fight." Tony was clearly enjoying drawing out the situation. Tim huffed impatiently.

"Tony..." he complained.

"Shh!" Tony cut him off as Gibbs and Ziva entered the Interview Room and sat down.

"I don't know why you have me here!" Amalia hiccuped immediately. "First you tell me my boyfriend is dead, then you accuse me of killing him? I've been sick all week, and trying to get better so we could spend a day together before he ships out." She blew her nose again.

"Your license, DNA and video footage place you at the crime scene." Gibbs informed her.

"I'm telling you it wasn't me!" She insisted, Gibbs raised his hand and beckoned to McGee through the glass, who quickly delivered the laptop. "I lost my license at the drugstore three days ago."

"Can you explain this?" Gibbs asked, nodding for McGee to leave again as he hit play. Amalia watched quietly for a few seconds, still sniffling. Gibbs paused the image as the pharmacist handed over the wallet again.

"That's not me." Amalia protested. "That's Catherine. Look." She pointed at the screen to a dark blob, a tattoo of some kind, on the back of the woman's neck, then turned her own head, moving her hair, no mark was visible.

"You told us that your sister was away." Ziva put in.

"She was... well I thought she was. She said she was going to Atlantic City!" A fresh wave of tears started up. Gibbs pushed the box of tissues quietly across the table, waiting for her to compose herself.

"Do you have any idea where your sister might be in that case?" Gibbs pressed once Amalia had settled somewhat. Heavy footsteps sounded in the hall outside, Amalia turned her head as they raced past.

"We need names or addresses of anyone your sister might be with, anything that will help find her." Ziva slid a clipboard and pen across the table, calling Amalia's attention back as the footsteps slowed and quietened.

"Where's Gibbs?" Tony and Tim had heard the running footsteps too and weren't surprised when Abby burst into Observation, skidding to a halt. McGee gestured to where Gibbs and Ziva were watching Amalia write down names. Seeing him busy, she turned instead to scrutinize Tony.

"What ya staring at Abs?" Tony laughed under the hard gaze. Abby stood on her toes, studying Tony's face.

"You're different Tony... your hair or the way you're standing. You were right McGee." Her eyes narrowed and she bent closer, inhaling deeply. "You _smell_ different too!"

"Whoa," Tony stepped back a little. "What do you mean different? What have you been saying to Abby?"

"Trying to work out why you're being so... nice." Tim explained. "There's something going on. You were teasing Ziva yesterday, and now you're all over her, and she's not even injured you."

"A kiss on the forehead is hardly all over her Mc40-Year-Old-Virgin." Tony laughed. Tim huffed, offended, and turned back to the window. "Sheesh, sensitive." Tony commented.

"Ah-hah!" Abby seized the bottle of hand sanitiser, opening the cap and sniffing it. "Not that either.., there's definitely something not-Tony about you."

"I'm all here and I'm all me." Tony pretended to pat himself down as though checking he was still in one piece.

"Hmm..." Abby said critically, clearly not buying it. "Remember, I can kill you and leave no evidence."

"Well then you'd never find out what's going on would you?" He teased.

"So there IS something going on!" Abby seized the hint triumphantly.

"Never said there was anything to find out, but if you kill me you won't at all." Tony grinned, Abby gave an exasperated groan.

"Gibbs is on the move." Tim warned. Sure enough, the man in question had risen from the table, taking the list of names Amalia had written down, and had stepped toward the door.

"This isn't over." Abby warned, spinning on her heel and meeting Gibbs in the hall. "Gibbs Gibbs Gibbs!" She accosted him the second he stepped out of the room, "No match on the prints other than Griffin's. Nothing from the cabin or bottles are a match for Amalia. The only thing that matches her is the bottle Tony and Ziva brought back from her room. As far as fingerprints go, it's as if she wasn't there."

"I know." He answered, "McGee,.."

"Find out the sister's number and run a trace on her phone. On it." McGee was already at the door to the room where Ziva and Amalia still sat

"Tony, with me, we're bringing her in. Nice work Abs." Gibbs added over his shoulder striding away.

"We'll pick this up later!" She called after Tony as he fell into step beside Gibbs.

"I thought I told you not to torture anyone else." Gibbs' hand flew to the back of Tony's skull.

"How did you...?" Gibbs silenced him with a look. "On your six, Boss!"

* * *

"So, you mean he really thought Catherine was Amalia for two nights?" Abby queried. The case had wrapped up late the day before, and with the following day being Saturday, and none of the team on call, she had demanded (after a sleep in) that they meet for an early dinner and a few drinks. Gibbs and Tony had found the twin easily enough, staying at a friend's place, and on hearing that Griffin had died she'd broken down and told all. The trip had already been planned, and after visiting the doctors, Amalia had called Griffin to cancel, but been told that as he had already paid, he would spend the time up there anyway, and she would join him if she felt well enough in a day or so. Catherine had answered the phone when the drugstore had called to let Amalia know her purse had been found, picked it up in her place, and saw the opportunity to join Griffin, whom she had always held a candle for, and so concocted the impromptu Atlantic City roadtrip to explain her absence to her sister. She called Griffin, claiming a miraculous recovery, swapped the tablets in case he read the label, knowing Amalia in her unwell haze would not notice the fine print, and met Griffin as arranged to ride to the park together. The first two nights had gone well (the reason there had been skin underneath his fingernails that had provided the DNA match to Amalia, Tim pointed out with a blush) and she had been careful to keep her hair down, hiding the one major difference between the two women, until Griffin had surprised her in the shower the day before his body had been found. He hadn't taken the news well, and they had fought, Catherine telling him it was just for fun, Griffin horrified that he had not recognised her earlier, and furious she had pulled such a trick, and he stormed out, telling her he was taking a walk and she was to be gone by the time he got back. She had decided to crush up her sleeping tablets and add them to the bottles of liquor they had brought up hoping that Griffin would drink so much he'd wake up with no memory of the events, and left before he returned. She explained that she hadn't intended to hurt him, just enough to knock him out and forget what had happened, and had no idea that it would end the way it had, it seemed that his early morning stroll when he began to feel nauseous had not done him much good, tripping over the tree root ultimately causing his death, but Catherine would be held accountable though whether she would be held for homicide or manslaughter was not yet determined.

"You saw them," Tony put in, "There wasn't much to tell them apart." Gibbs had yet to arrive, and Ducky and Palmer had declined the offer, but the four youngest team members were present, nibbling on a bowl of fries until Gibbs arrived to place their dinner order as a group. Abby - after being told on no uncertain terms that a goth club was out of the question - had chosen the bar/restaurant with a live band and dancing area, a few couples already dancing to a fun rock blues tune.

"But after two nights together?" Abby took a sip of her water. "I'd like to think if I had an identical twin that my boyfriend would be able to tell us apart before that... and that she wouldn't try to be me!"

"There's only one you Abs." Tim assured her with a chuckle.

"What about you Ziva? No identical twin super assassins we need to know about?" Tony asked lightly, glancing across the table at Ziva. They were occupying two sides of the U-shaped booth, men on one side, women the other, the long back presently unoccupied, Tim and Ziva being in the outside positions, Tony and Abby closer to the middle, so each 'couple' was sitting diagonally across from each other.

"Definitely not Tony." She replied, Tony gave an exaggerated sigh of relief, causing a laugh to ripple through the group.

"What no comments about how good she looks tonight?" Tim teased. She did, they all did, casual but smart shirts on the men, Abby in one of her standard mini skirts, dark stockings and a fitted t-shirt, Ziva that same purple dress she had worn two nights earlier, and the knowledge that they were not on call, and the prospect of a night in good company leaving them relaxed and smiling.

"I don't think she needs to be told." Tony grinned, taking her hand. Ziva smiled back knowingly, they had gotten ready together at his apartment, and Tony on seeing her dressed up for the evening had done his best to kiss her into agreeing not to go. "Although, it's a shame to waste a nice dress like that - dance with me?"

"Would you two just tell us what's going on already?" Abby demanded.

"Nothing," Tony deadpanned, "Just asking my colleague to dance. I'll have one with you later too Abs." He leaned to press a placating kiss to her cheek, though she looked unconvinced as Ziva followed Tony to the floor.

"Wish they'd make up their minds." Tim commented, taking his seat again, having risen to let Tony out of the booth.

"What do you mean Tim?" Abby asked watching the pair dancing, they looked relaxed in each others' company, though still at a distance that said 'just friends'.

"I think all this teasing and game play is their way of figuring out if they feel the same." He explained.

"No, Ziva told me that bracelet was a gift." Abby cocked her head, smiling unconsciously as Tony dipped Ziva enthusiastically, her face lighting up in such a way that Abby did not need to hear her to know she was laughing. "I think Tony might have realised he's about to miss out."

"Tony wouldn't try and get in between Ziva and her boyfriend if she has one. He's more likely to get jealous and invade her privacy - annoy her into telling him." Tim responded doubtfully. Abby nodded agreement with the statement, her eyes still on the couple.

"Good point Timmy." Her eyes flicked to Tim's face to smile at him. "So does that mean the bracelet was from _Tony?_"

"Ziva wouldn't wear it at work... would she?"

"Guess it depends what it meant... I mean, infinity to them isn't necessarily a love thing. They've been to hell and back for each other." Abby mused, the upbeat song changed to a slower one, the dancing couples moving closer together. "I think we're about to find out." She added, still watching Tony and Ziva carefully.

"That," Tim said definitely after a moment. "Is not just colleague dancing." Ziva's arms had come around Tony's shoulders, his hands on her hips as they rocked slowly together. Tim and Abby watched quietly for a minute, Gibbs appearing about halfway through the song.

"Hiya Abs, Tim." He dropped a greeting kiss to her temple and nodding at McGee. "Where's Tony and Ziva?" Both people pointed mutely to the dance floor. One of Ziva's hands were in Tony's hair, his right arm close around her back, his left hand cupping her cheek as their foreheads pressed together, eyes locked and totally unaware of anything around them. "Ahh." Gibbs nodded, his face impassive.

"They just..."

"A minute ago..." Tim and Abby spoke over each other, trying to explain or defuse the situation as they saw it, Rule 12 being broken right in front of the man who made the rule.

"I think I'll grab a beer." Gibbs remained unreadable, heading for the bar.

"Hey," Tony whispered as the song ended, his eyes not leaving the dark ones he was gazing into. "Think we've got an audience."

"I know." Ziva returned softly, gently breaking away, taking Tony's hand and walking with him back to the booth, getting there at the same time as Gibbs returned with a jug of beer and some glasses.

"Thanks Boss." Tony accepted the drink gratefully, "Pretty warm up there." He gestured to the dance floor.

"Didn't know you could work up much of a sweat slow-dancing." The older man replied with a wry smile. They sat back down in the original spots, Tony and Tim moving down so Gibbs could join them.

"That all depends who you are dancing with." Ziva put in, taking a glass as well. A sweet, sexy smile lit her features and Gibbs could tell it was all Tony could do not to lean across the table and kiss it off her. He cleared his throat, bringing Tony back to reality.

"Alright, that's it!" Abby insisted, banging her hand on the table. "Enough coy looks, enough compliments, enough secret smiles, and enough subtle touching. The room is about to explode with the tension between you two! Just get together already!" She looked shocked at her own outburst, clapping a hand over her mouth. "Well... someone had to say it." She added sheepishly.

"You make a good point Abs," Gibbs seemed to have an uncharacteristically hard time keeping his face straight. "Tony, Ziva, what do you have to say for yourselves?"

"Well..." Tony was clearly debating whether or not to keep playing around, stretching it out further. Gibbs raised his hand, a mock threat, reminding Tony of the headslap from the previous day.

"What did I say about torture DiNozzo?" He warned.

"You mean you know what's going on?" Abby's jaw dropped, staring hard, although not angrily at Gibbs.

"Yup. Not my news to tell though." Gibbs shrugged, taking a swig of his beer. Abby looked like she was considering arguing with him, but changed her mind and turned her attention to the couple in question.

"Right, Ziva... Tony..." She eyed them both seriously, "Spill!"

"We are together Abby." Ziva said simply. She managed to time the admission perfectly with the end of another song, and for a second the room was so quiet you could have heard a pin drop. Tim's eyes went wide, flashing between Ziva and Tony.

"What do you mean together?" Abby questioned, coming back to earth as the music started again, "Friends with benefits? Dating? Till death do you part?"

"Slow down Abs, it's only been a month." Tony chuckled, but not actually seeming put off by the idea of a commitment of that length.

"A month of _what?_" Abby insisted.

"Dating," Ziva replied. "Tony is my boyfriend." Abby couldn't fully contain her excited squeal at hearing those words coming from Ziva's mouth.

"The friends with benefits started around Christmas." Tony added with a laugh, earning him a fondly aggravated glare from Ziva.

"You mean you and Ziva... were... this whole time..." Tim trailed off, gulping his beer, his cheeks scarlet.

"Yes, that's exactly what I mean McModest." Tony informed him.

"Well it's about time! Although you both owe me big for not telling you sooner... and you Gibbs." She glared at him, receiving an affectionate chuckle in return. "This calls for a seating rearrangement!"

"How Mad Hatter of you." Tony quipped, allowing Abby to drag him out by the arm. The others submitted to the same treatment, quietly amused at Abby's enthusiasm. She got Tony to sit down first along the back, Ziva next, and sliding in herself along the side seat, beside Ziva.

"After you Boss." McGee paused quietly for a moment, allowing Gibbs to take the place beside Abby.

"Ah... what the hell McGee." Gibbs shrugged. "Be good to her."

"Boss?" Tim queried, uncertain what he just heard.

"You might be better at keeping things to yourselves than those two, but I'm not stupid." Gibbs laughed, moving around the table to sit on the empty side, nearer to Tony. Tim's only response was to stand there, gaping. "D'ya hear me McGee? Sit down with your girl."

"Uh... right Gibbs." Tim eased into the seat beside Abby, who had flushed somewhere between purple and red between embarrassment and helpless giggles. Ziva was unsuccessfully hiding a smirk and Tony looked thoroughly bewildered.

"Wait so you and McLovin' have been...? Oh god, I just imagined it." Tony hid his face in his hands.

"Yup." Abby nodded proudly, lacing her fingers with Tim's.

"So asking Ziva to double date with you?" Tony muttered, unable to quite look at either Tim or Abby.

"Keeping you off our trails." McGee shrugged, finally finding the use of his voice again.

"So the whole time you were... and we were... and you thought... and we thought... but then..." Abby punctuated each group of words with another fit of giggles. "And you knew all along!" She finished, pointing at Gibbs.

"Yep, some investigators you are." He chuckled, draining his glass. "It's a wonder I don't fire the lot of you sometimes." There was no real threat, rather warmth and amusement. A collective laugh broke out, and glasses were tipped against each other.

"Well, I for one am starving." Ziva put in, when the group had composed themselves somewhat. "I think it is time to order."

An hour or so later, with plates emptied, Gibbs took a serious tone to his voice, addressing his team equally. "Everyone needs a code to live by. Shannon taught me that years ago. It's time you had your own codes."

"Already do," Tony put in, thinking of the 50-something they followed as part of Team Gibbs.

"Nope. If you wanna do this as couples, you'll need your own rules. But there's one rule that supersedes all others, the one you have to take with you whatever ones you come up with along the way."

"Which one?" Tim queried.

"Rule 1." There was a momentary silence as each person brought the rule to their mind.

"Never screw over your partner. Nice." Tony smiled, catching Ziva's eye. She squeezed his hand lightly in return.

"Good choice." Abby agreed as Tim slid his arm around her shoulder.

"Precisely." Gibbs raised his glass, pausing to make eye contact with each person. "Semper Fi - always faithful."

"Semper Fi." They returned in unison, touching their glasses together as a group.

* * *

**Author's Note:** You've got to imagine that end scene finishing with a black and white 'phoof' of all the glasses being clinked together to make it really work ;)

Well, there were a few movie quotes in there this time! For reference: Lardass Hogan appeared in Stephen King's novella _The Body_ which was made into the 1986 movie _Stand By Me._ Ziva's one-liner "be nice to Bambi" is a quote from the pilot episode of _Scrubs_, and Tony calling Abby the Mad Hatter when changing the seating arrangements of course comes from _Alice In Wonderland_, given that this is happening around Season 7, we'll say it was a reference to the Disney animation rather than the more recent Johnny Depp film. Lastly, _40 Year Old Virgin_ I think speaks for itself. Like NCIS, I only borrowed them to play with.

The reference Abby made was from Season 3, Under Covers, Sophie and Jean-Paul Renier whose identities Ziva and and Tony had assumed had the infinity symbol tattooed on their ring fingers as their sign to commitment. The similarity in the bracelet Tony gave Ziva in this fic is not unintentional ;)

A note regarding the use of Gibbs' Rule #1, I have used the later and more commonly repeated version of the rule, "never screw over your partner" rather than "never let suspects stay together" which was only used in the first episode.

Please, keep reviewing, I love seeing all the alerts and favourites, but actual wordy feedback truly makes my day!


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